Golden Eye (International) Ltd - We have a troll trying on for the third time!

[rhino666]

I wonder if any of these speculative invoicing merchants can provide proof that have permission to represent the people they say.

[unclebulgaria67]

I wonder if any of these speculative invoicing merchants can provide proof that have permission to represent the people they say.

 

The previous court claims did not work out very well and the Solicitor who was involved found themselves out of their job. Other Solicitors pulled out of it, when they realised it was not going to be very easy.

 

My reading of the situation, is that copyright holders would require a change in the law, to be able to proceed. They can send the letters out, but that is about it. They cannot prove that the person who paid the internet bill was responsible for the copyright breach.

 

There is also the issue of the IP address not being correctly identified. I seem to remember a Vicar being alleged to have downloaded some title, which may have seen him removed from his position. There was no proof his internet connection had been used or it was him involved.

[labrat]

back to downloading via tor and a russian exit node then....

[Coughdrop]

Apologies Labrat, but can I make it absolutely clear that you are definitely not me.

 

For those that matter, that comment will make perfect sense - apologies for being a little cryptic.

[labrat]

for all those curious coughdrop had a similar username on a differnt forum

[unclebulgaria67]

for all those curious coughdrop had a similar username on a differnt forum

 

This is the game played by the other site, that has been going on for years. If they want to keep going on about it like a stuck record, let them.

[fluteboy]

The letter tells those accused of piracy that they need to pay a settlement or face legal action

 

 

A number of Sky Broadband customers have received legal letters from a American firm, which accuse them of pirating an obscure Robert Redford film and asking them to pay a fine.

 

Dozens of users have recently received letters from an American legal firm called TCYK LLC - which is apparently named after the initials of the film, The Company You Keep, a 2012 thriller starring Redford and Shia LaBeouf.

 

It received mixed reviews at the time of release, and made around $20 million at the box office worldwide.

 

The letter, published in The Guardian, begins by telling the recipient that it has been written "with regret", and says that the unidentified claimant is "concerned at the illicit distribution of films over the internet".

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sky-broadband-customers-receive-legal-letter-asking-for-payment-over-alleged-piracy-of-an-obscure-robert-redford-film-10395048.html

 

 

 

 

US firm TCYK, apparently named after film The Company You Keep, made Sky hand over details of customers accused of downloading movie

 

 

 

Dozens of UK broadband customers have received letters from a US firm accusing them of pirating a little-known Robert Redford film and inviting them to pay a financial settlement on pain of further legal action.

 

TCYK LLC, a legal firm apparently named after the initials of the film in question, The Company You Keep, obtained a court order against Sky Broadband this year requiring it to hand over the details of customers that TCYK alleges used torrent sites to download and distribute the film.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/15/sky-broadband-customers-targeted-allegedly-pirating-robert-redford-film

 

Edited July 17, 2015 by citizenB

[dx100uk]

ignore them never pay anything

 

 

dx

[silverfox1961]

Hi

thanks for posting this and apologies for editing it a bit.

 

This is just another Golden Eye practice of chasing 'alleged' offenders. The only way they can be absolutely sure that a film has been downloaded is to forensically examine the computer in question and even then, they would have difficulty proving who did download it (in a home with more than one person)

[tobyjugg2]

Its rather concerning that Sky would hand over contact details of customers in this way based on un-confirmable information.

 

IP's can and often are spoofed, so IP's in a peerlist are simply not incontrovertible evidence, although civil matters are different and I am not an expert on civil law, let alone international civil law.

 

Now I am aware that Sky and BT and VM did this sort of thing a few years ago, under pressure from the government, but I understood that the situation had changed now with UK ISP's working on a 3 warning knocks and you are disconnected basis, and were NOT giving out customer details.

 

Are these dating the alleged offense as some years ago - eg 2012?

 

UPDATE

Interesting

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2015/03/isp-sky-broadband-to-share-uk-customer-details-with-movie-piracy-lawyers.html

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing_in_the_United_Kingdom

 

Might be worthwhile googling

Speculative Invoicing Handbook Second Edition

and having a read

 

addendum

It would seem that VM might be bending over backwards trying to get extensive data logging/p2p and other interception/monitoring introduced on their networks (effectively maybe getting phorm re-introduced through the back door in the process) in some things I have read - unconfirmed.

 

 

Also google : US federal judge: IP address not enough to prove someone downloaded pirated movies

[tobyjugg2]

and in a very related area

 

High Court Rules UK Telecoms and Internet Data Retention Act Unlawful

 

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2015/07/high-court-rules-uk-telecoms-and-internet-data-retention-act-unlawful.html

[unclebulgaria67]

If someone owning rights to a film go to a court for an order to make internet companies release IP address customer details, these are mostly granted. Sometimes the rights to a film have been purchased by a company or legal firm with the intention to bring court claims. But if they make enough money from the invoices they send out, then they probably would not proceed. Even in a one person household, unless they can obtain evidence of who downloaded the film, it would be difficult.

 

What is happening in regard to torrent sites, is that they are being closed down quickly as soon as they have moved to a new countries domain. Copyright holders are now managing to get their material removed. Also people who have uploaded films etc to the torrent sites are being prosecuted around the world. I think someone in Finland was jailed.

 

The torrent sites are trying to continue, with people signing up to services where they maintain 100% anonymous, but i don't think it will be too long for action to be taken.

 

The era of downloading free stuff from the internet is coming to an end, with countries authorities more likely to take action. I certainly would be very nervous about uploading content online and if you download or have downloaded, you could well be invoiced at some point.

 

I think if you receive several letters and it looks like they are looking to take to court, then you might choose to reply that you do not have current knowledge of the allegation they are making and that the person paying for the internet connection, denies any liability for the matter.

[mikeymack2002]

10 years jail for pirates possible?

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33578180

[colin11]

I used to download a lot, but stopped a while ago, now i just stream the movies using one of these

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281487146353?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Am i still breaking the law, i have nothing to upload/share, and nothing is retained on my PC, They sell these boxes on Amazon so i am guessing the box itself is legal

[Stigman]

Tens of thousands of Internet subscribers are at risk of receiving piracy settlement demands after copyright trolls announced they are preparing to launch one of the largest ever anti-piracy campaigns in the UK. The new wave of enforcement actions is supported by piracy tracking firm Maverick Eye who work with Dallas Buyers Club and other well-known filmmakers.

 

trollsignSo-called copyright trolls were a common occurrence in the UK half a decade ago, when many Internet subscribers received settlement demands for allegedly downloading pirated files.

 

After one of the key players went bankrupt the focus shifted to other countries, but now they’re back. One of the best known trolling outfits has just announced the largest anti-piracy push in the UK for many years.

 

The renewed efforts began earlier this year when the makers of “The Company You Keep” began demanding cash from many Sky Broadband customers.

 

This action was spearheaded by Maverick Eye, a German outfit that tracks and monitors BitTorrent piracy data that forms the basis of these campaigns. Today, the company says that this was just the beginning.

 

Framed as one of the largest anti-piracy campaigns in history, Maverick Eye says it teamed up with law firm Hatton & Berkeley and other key players to launch a new wave of settlement demands.

 

“Since July this year, Hatton & Berkeley and Maverick Eye have been busy working with producers, lawyers, key industry figures, investors, partners, and supporters to develop a program to protect the industry and defend the UK cinema against rampant piracy online,” Maverick Eye says.

 

“The entertainment industry can expect even more from these experts as they continue the fight against piracy in the UK.”

 

The companies have yet to announce which copyright holders are involved, but Maverick Eye is already working with the makers of the movies Dallas Buyers Club, The Cobbler and Survivor in other countries.

 

Most recently, they supported a series of lawsuits against several Popcorn Time users in the U.S., and they also targeted BitTorrent users in Canada and Australia.

 

Hatton & Berkeley commonly offers administrative services and says it will provide “essential infrastructure” for the UK anti-piracy campaign.

 

“Hatton and Berkeley stands alongside our colleagues in an international operation that has so far yielded drastic reductions in streaming, torrenting and illegal downloads across Europe,” the company announces.

 

In the UK it is relatively easy for copyright holders to obtain the personal details of thousands of subscribers at once, which means that tens of thousands of people could be at risk of being targeted.

 

https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-announce-uk-anti-piracy-invasion-151002/

 

**********************************************************************************************

 

Please remember that an IP address does not identify the alleged downloader, therefore deny all knowledge & put the emphasis on the Copyright Troll to identify the user (which they cannot)!

 

Stigman

[sillygirl1]

This is similar to the dreadful BenDover scandal where the porn company claimed loads of innocent people had 'downloaded' their tacky films many times over.

 

It shouldn't affect me as I don't download films but it could potentially cause a lot of distress to completely innocent people.

[unclebulgaria67]

This issue is being tackled already, as government set up a Police unit to tackle illegal sharing of copyrighted materials. You cannot connect directly to most file sharing sites and have to go by a VPN. But many VPN are gradually facing action, as are the torrent sites. The torrent sites are now full of malware, which presumably copyright holders have put on there. I used to download a few documentaries and TV programmes, but cannot do it now. There is probably a way, but i cannot be bothered.

 

There have also been arrests in various countries and in Sweden i think someone was jailed for uploading various US movies.

[Stigman]

The City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) mainly targets either organisations or individual uploaders who upload on a grand scale, this new wave is exactly the same as the Goldeneye saga where anyone suspected of downloading (certain films) will receive a letter on behalf of the film-makers asking for compensation.

 

This new wave is a civil matter and not a criminal matter which PIPCU are involved in.

 

PIPCU are funded by the UK tax payer, not one penny comes from the movie & record Companies that they protect from Copyright theft.

 

Stigman

[dx100uk]

and any money they fleece out of people will go directly into their pockets I bet!

 

 

much as ACS LAW and RLP

 

 

totally ignore them

[unclebulgaria67]

The City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) mainly targets either organisations or individual uploaders who upload on a grand scale, this new wave is exactly the same as the Goldeneye saga where anyone suspected of downloading (certain films) will receive a letter on behalf of the film-makers asking for compensation.

 

This new wave is a civil matter and not a criminal matter which PIPCU are involved in.

 

PIPCU are funded by the UK tax payer, not one penny comes from the movie & record Companies that they protect from Copyright theft.

 

Stigman

 

I heard that this Police unit were actively stopping people from being able to upload or download, by targeting the sites that enable this. There is also concern that VPN's are being used for anonymous communications for criminal purposes e.g terrorist, illegal material.

 

The Police might deal with criminal issues, but from what i have read, they are working closely with other countries Police forces to try to stop this sharing of copyrighted materials.

 

I have just read an article on Torrent Freak, where they discuss how much malware tracking is going on. Torrents are being added purely to obtain data, so they can try to track people down.

[gettingolder]

Save us form these Piracy/Copyright Trolls. I used to create email stationery and a few times had the copyright issue crop up and got threatened by some outfit in the States. I told them to bring it on. They never did. I could prove everything I made was mine from the first pixel drawn to the finished product. I now use this art work in my embroidery. I know this has nothing to do with downloading and file sharing, but it is the same thing.

 

 

Ignore them, they have to prove that you pirated/copied it.

[unclebulgaria67]

and any money they fleece out of people will go directly into their pockets I bet!

 

 

much as ACAS LAW and RLP

 

 

totally ignore them

 

 

That is the case and people can ignore if there is no proof that the internet account owner was responsible for the copyright breach.

[mikeymack2002]

What about Virgin Media that has always allowed copyright material to be posted on the Newsgroup servers? that is an American company why not start getting this crew sorted out? Finally why has there been recent news that some of the big companies were caught uploading digital content from their own servers? Giddy with awe here...

 

 

Finally just use any search engine for the settings for VM newsgroups, it has its own help forum for digital content go figure!!!

[unclebulgaria67]

I suspect some copyright holders do upload their films onto torrent type sites, with a view to make money from speculative invoicing at some point in the future. Many films make losses and are used to write off against tax. They then have to think about how they can make any money, by selling it on or doing something else with it.

[andydd]

This is similar to the dreadful BenDover scandal where the porn company claimed loads of innocent people had 'downloaded' their tacky films many times over.

 

It shouldn't affect me as I don't download films but it could potentially cause a lot of distress to completely innocent people.

 

But it ended disastrously for ACS Law so Im surprised anyone else is stupid enough to try again.