Consumer Group Publishes Guide on How to Fight False P2P Claims

“Speculative Invoicing Handbook” details how to avoid being extorted by UK-based law firm ACS:Law and its “revolutionary business model” that targets illegal file-sharers en masse.

ACS:Law, a UK-based law firm that “specializes in assisting intellectual property rights holders exploit and enforce their rights globally,” announced early last month that it planned to target some 15,000 suspected illegal file-sharers across the UK as part of 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.

It later announced that after a careful review had dropped a “good number” of these cases because they decided litigation was either not a “viable option” or “beneficial” to their clients.

“A letter has been sent out today informing those involved of this, and explaining that they now owe our client’s a duty of care to ensure this type of activity does not happen again,” it said in a statement.

The change hasn’t allayed the concerns of consumer support group Being Threatened which has just published “The Speculative Invoicing Handbook” in an attempt to support victims of this latest anti-file-sharing campaign.

“Only a small number of letters have arrived so far, sent by second class post, but BeingThreatened has spoken to victims,” it says in a press release. “So far the unreliability of the evidence appears not to have been addressed – 100% of victims contacting BeingThreatened as a result of this new batch state they did not commit or authorize any copyright infringement of the work they are accused of sharing.”

The guide is an excellent step-by-step playbook that details how readers can stop “speculative invoicing” such as ACS:Law’s and just what to do if you’re wrongly accused of illegal file-sharing.

It proposes a five-point plan for the first:

1. Take Away the Money – Do not pay.
2. Hurt Their Business – Do everything you legally can to take away the business of those involved. Make sure everyone knows how shoddy this scheme is and which ‘rights holders’ are in on it.
3. Destroy the Business Model – Ditch your untrustworthy ISP. Start your notice period NOW. And tell them why.
4. Read Their Rules and Refuse to Play by Them – In simple terms: their system works because you tell them stuff. Turn out the lights. Leave them in the dark. Tell them nothing.
5. There are More of Us. Exploit This – The most effective way to have an impact is as part of ateam. Keep yourself aware of developments and help the group effort where you can.

For the accused it lays out what one should do step by step, from letter of response to examining what information is available about you on the Internet and what it may mean for the case against you.

“If you shared the file, left a big trail across the internet showing you’re a file-sharer and then send a letter of denial – you’re asking for trouble,” it says. “Even if you didn’t share the file, know where you stand before you post anything, or

reply.”

Moreover, the “The Speculative Invoicing Handbook” is a must read for those already accused of illegal file-sharing or think they possibly could be in the future.

Stay tuned.

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