UK Law Firm to Target 15,000 Illegal File-Sharers Jan 1st

ACS:Law says they’ll be given the “opportunity” to settle early and avoid having to deal with the matter in court.

ACS:Law, a UK-based law firm that “specializes in assisting intellectual property rights holders exploit and enforce their rights globally,” has announced that on January 1st it plans to target some 15,000 accused illegal file-sharers across the UK.

It’s part of what it calls its “revolutionary business model” that “generates revenue for rights holders and effectively decreases copyright infringement in a measurable and sustainable way” unlike the “costly and ineffective” anti-piracy measures of other companies.

Too bad it does little but frequently anger innocent, prospective consumers whilst the problem of illegal P2P continues unabated. For all one can accuse is an IP address and not the individual responsible.

However, Andrew Crossley, a spokesman for ACS:Law, defends the firms approach, saying it’s “unaware” of any innocent people being targeted and that the plan is necessary to “eradicate” illegal file-sharing.

He also notes that the plan kindly affords people the “opportunity to enter into compromise right at the start to avoid having to deal with it” at trial. Settlement fees range between £300-500 ($497-828 USD).

Guess nobody’s told them that’s pretty much impossible short of data packet inspection which will never happen in a free society. The plan is only “revolutionary” in that it seeks to make money from illegal file-sharing accusations on a mass scale.

ACS:Law is taking up where UK law firm Davenport Lyons, which pioneered the same strategy by accusing over 100 people of illegally sharing the video game Dream Pinball 3D, left off back in May after a formal complaint was filed by Which?, the largest consumer body in the UK.

Sadly enough, ACS: Law readily admits it can only accuse an IP address and not the actual individual responsible. For this the settlement letters would ask the accused to name who they think is responsible.

But, as was pointed out by UK ISP Talk Talk back in October, a Wi-Fi survey of Central Ealing in West London found that 41% of 1,083 Wi-Fi networks were vulnerable to hijacking and illegal use.

Moneysupermarket also discovered that 9% of 2000 interviewed British adults admitted to using another person’s connection without permission, and an amazing 19% said they don’t even secure their Wi-Fi connections.

“In fact, one in four people questioned on behalf of moneysupermarket.com didn’t know that anyone close enough to their router can use an unprotected wireless network without the owner’s consent – or even knowledge,” it says.”

It’s pretty startling, and means once again that one can only accuse an IP address and not the actual person responsible.

Guess the truth never really matters to a good lawyer.

Stay tuned.

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