Solidwork Harness ip, please help

[hamburgerhelper]

I'm a college student (USA) and got an email yesterday to my university email claiming I've illegally downloaded and used Solidworks via a pirating software from this lawfirm called Harness ip.

I have no idea how they got the email, name, and address, but they have.

They listed the mac address for computer and the version that was supposedly installed on the device.

I also got an email today from a 'sales mediation officer' that works at dassault (they own solidworks).

The officer said I owe $23,000, or buy a license, either of which I absolutely CANNOT afford to pay, I already am in heaps of student loan debt and im living paycheck to paycheck.

Any advice on what I should do?

Im super scared and I feel helpless especially since i cant afford an attorney.

I'm also in the USA but there are no American forums like this that I've been able to find, so I'm praying somebody can help me.

Thanks

[honeybee13]

Hello, welcome to CAG.

If you have a read around the Internet Piracy subforum that you've posted in, no one has paid these people and it hasn't gone any further.

Best, HB

[dx100uk]

we dont know how the USA works, but here in the UK theres nothing they can do 

an IP nor a mac address is not proof here and the speculative claims just fizzle out.

i certainly have not got the time to learn the USA piracy laws, if there are any they can get you on.

but pers i very very much doubt it going by the route they taken with you, the supposed mediation officer (powerless) is the same they do hear.

pers id simply ignore them.

block their numbers and their email addresses.

99% of internet piracy claims are SCAMMERS.

dx

 

[BankFodder]

Please tell us the name of the lawyers who have contacted you. Are they American or British?

In any copyright action they would have to prove the level of damage and they wouldn't be able to claim more than that. In this case damage means the loss that they have suffered.

Two questions here: first of all please be completely straight dealing with us. Have you actually used this software – pirated or legitimate?
If you want us to help you then we need straight answers.

Secondly, if you have used it then you need to understand what financial gain you might have made from it.

But broadly, they have come up with a figure of $23,000. As advised by my site team colleague above you should ignore it because these people are simply bounty hunters. But if they did go further they would certainly have to justify their $23,000 and they would have to show that this is broadly what their clients have lost because of a single pirated version of their software used by university students – maybe for study at reasons only.

What is the name of the law firm which has contacted you. Give us the name and also post a link to their website

[hamburgerhelper]

Thank you dx and Bankfodder for the replies, they're very helpful.

The lawyers that contacted me are indeed American, the firm is called Harness IP. 

I don't want to incriminate myself, but I'd say it would be a good guess that the unlegitimate program was installed and used on my pc. 

I have made no financial gains from it. It has been for my own academic studies and that's it. However, I do technically own a business (online shop) that has been completely dormant for about a year or so, and to be honest I forgot it existed. I never used solidworks for it, but should I consider closing it so they might screw? It wouldn't cost me much to do so. The mediation officer references 'my company' in his email, but doesn't give the name of my company, so he might be referring to my school? I'm not sure.

For now I blocked both Harness IP and the mediation officer's emails as suggested.

Thanks again for the help guys

Edited February 17 by hamburgerhelper

[dx100uk]

Yep ignore them.