ACS:Law copyright file sharing claims, Gallant Macmillan - and probably some others along the way...

[panther12]

God I am angry!!! I posted this earlier in the legal forum before been pointed to this thread.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?272808-Copyright-infringement-letter-%28Ministry-of-Sound%29&p=3082470&viewfull=1#post3082470

 

I'm only a fraction through reading this thread and can't beleive just how low these law firms will stoop. I feel another david & goliath moment coming on...

[panther12]

Can anyone just confirm the method of posting Gallant Macmillan use to send out their crap - 1st or 2nd class?

[panther12]

Both letters I received were sent by second class post

 

Cheers, that helps in a response I'm preparing.

[panther12]

I wonder what they would say if you wrote back stating you did not accept their letter not accepting your LOD because their letter is a template?

Exactly, I’m still flabbergasted by all this. It’s nothing more than the Nigerian [problem] but operated by unscrupulous solicitors manipulating our legal system for quick financial gain. The ambulance chasing compo claims sector must be a bit thin on the ground for these **** so trying a new approach to make easy money!

[panther12]

Well I don't think they can say my letter is a template...**** off!!! Sometimes few words speak volumes

[panther12]

This is what we sent to these [causing problems] chancers, not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement!

-----------------------------------------------

 

To whom it may concern

 

I am in receipt of your letter dated 6 August 2010. Although you refer to a letter of 6 July 2010, your letter dated 06/08/2010 is the first and only communication I have received from Gallant Macmillan.

 

Given the poor quality photocopy reproduction and second class postage used to communicate such important correspondence, I’m sure you can understand my initial concerns over the authenticity of such correspondence.

 

However, as you do appear to be a genuine firm of solicitors regulated by The Law Society, albeit not to the same professional standards that I am accustomed to in my dealings with solicitors, my response to your letter is as follows:-

 

I refer you to the reply given in the case of Arkell vs. Pressdram (1971).

 

Any further correspondence, save for service, will be filed unanswered. Should it be necessary for me to spend any more of my time dealing with this matter, restitution will be sought.

 

Also, let me give you a little tip (free of charge). When sending out correspondence stating that court proceedings may commence if no response is received within seven days, at least use a form of postage that ensures correspondence reaches its chosen destination and gives adequate time for a response to be received. Relying on the cheapest form of second class post to convey such important communication is not the actions one would associate with a reputable firm of solicitors. As such, the chance of you receiving this letter within your chosen timeframe is very unlikely indeed; especially as today is the 12/08/2010 and is being returned using your preferred method of postage – 2nd Class.

 

I trust this clarifies the situation for you.

 

Kind regards,

[panther12]

thanks but I still dont know if anyone has received a reply to a second lod or third lod yet?

 

We’ve not received a reply to the first letter telling them to **** Off! They don’t want to play with me anymore...sob,sob

[panther12]

You could bring a private action which could prove expensive or contact a solicitor as mentioned earlier who is bringing a class action.

 

Not sure if anything will come of it but what the heck, might as well give it a try, if nothing else but to cause as much inconvenience to the buggers! The person I'm helping received their letter from GM, so it's not just ACS who the solicitors want to hear from.

----------------------

Thank you for providing us with the information in your earlier emails.

We will now assess your claim, individually and as part of a potential group action, and return to you when we have further information.

Regards

[panther12]

Having had a quick look through some of the emails (peeing myself laughing at some of them) I notice there's some attatchments from other solicitors where people have paid for a solicitor to deal with the letter. Hmmmm, I wonder if it's worth sending a message to these solicitors informing them that their private messages including personal details of their clients are now open for everyone to see!!

[panther12]

This is before things started to even go really wrong:

 

"there are presently over 500 complaints against me thanks to the internet campaign and Which. Each complaint is essentially the same and they are borne out of a determination by some to stop legitimate steps bing taken to curtail illegal file sharing. However, I do not know how I can avoid being found guilty of something, with 500 complaints to choose from.

 

If I stop this work my business will fold and my clients will be big losers, but if I carry on I fear that it will be worse for me in the long run. Have you any view either way, as I have run out of ideas. Presently I feel defeated by it and feel I should shut up shop, which will cause me to go bankrupt for certain"

 

Big loser hmmmm.

My heart bleeds for the cretinis little oik. Should have realised this was going to be his downfall before trying to rip-off the masses with his doomed plan to rake in millions.

 

“...How heart warming it is to see that a man who as a result of being clinically depressed in 1999 suffered a stroke which in turn caused temporary complete blindness which in turn caused him to be unable to file his solicitors accounts on time or even at all for FIVE separate periods totalling FORTY-EIGHT months between periods ending 31st Dec 1999 and 31st December 2003, a period during which coincidentally this poor man was forced to enter into an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement), was fined and ordered to be suspended indefinitely by an SRA tribunal in 2002, a man who had to face the further ignominy and trauma of a second disciplinary hearing in 2006 has recovered from this clinical depression and blindness enough to not only rebuild a career but a career as a successful* solicitor no less...”

 

With any luck his recent shenanigans will tip this useless bloated sweat gland of a human over the edge altogether!!

[panther12]

I sent a LOD off to GM nearly 2 1/2 months ago and they have stopped chasing me, no more letters at all..... Anyone else had this outcome?

Didn’t bother with a LOD, went straight for the FO letter instead. Not heard anything which is quite disappointing as I like a challenge. Harassment claim lodged through ralli solicitors. Don’t think much will come of it though, but as Dale says – you’ve got to be in it to win it.

[panther12]

Well the muppets at ACS are still churning out their threat-o-gram nonesense! I posted a few weeks ago about my brother receiving one from GM and now today he's received another from that joke of a solicitors firm, ACS. Looks like we'll be submitting yet another harrasment claim with Ralli's solicitors.

[panther12]

Hello. This is my very first post. On Wednesday 20th October I received a letter from ACS:Law stating my IP address had been identified as having downloaded a musical work entitled 'Fever' ("The Work"). They are after £295 and me signing to say I would destroy the dowloaded copy(s) and promise not to distribute it. I went into initial blind panic as it meant nothing to me (even now I have no idea what 'Fever' is though I suspect from the name it is some sort of modern dance music. For the record, I am a 50 year old male whose musical tastes are classical and jazz!

 

The friend I'm helping has received the same. Never even heard of this "Fever" bollox! Looks like they're now reducing the blackmail figure in the hope more peeps will likely fork out the 295 quid than the 500+ previosly offered. Don't worry and most of all don't pay. Probably a last ditch attempt to line their greedy pockets before the impending big fine they are likely to get from the data breach.

[panther12]

Hi guys im new here too! Had no idea this forum existed until last week when I too received the letter regarding the song 'Fever'. It seems these parasites have made their way to N. Ireland now! I have been worried out of my mind since it happened I cant sleep i am so stressed! You guys seem to have a wealth of knowledge on the subject and it has made very interesting reading.

 

I have sought legal advice through online sites and they all say not to even bother replying and throw the letter in the bin! then from reading the many forums that are out there dedicated to this subject others suggest that If you dont reply you run the risk of them applying for a default judgement against you, it is suggested from advice on these forums that I should reply with a basic Letter Of Denial (LOD) as required by the pre-action protocol. So tbh my heads wrecked as to what approach to take, the prospect of facing months of threatening letters is filling me with dread!

 

Thanks for listening and for all the advice that you provide here.

 

Only chance they would ever get judgement by default is if they filed court action and you ignored official documents sent from the court. TBH I wouldn't even bother waste a stamp on these lowlife turds, and who's to say you actually received their letter of claim anyway. They mass mail thousands by 2nd class post. I'm of the view that if you ignore them they will move on to easier pickings. Their letters don't even comply with pre-action protocols so IMO you don't even need to send a LOD.