Porn trolling has never been a glamorous business. But as judges, bar associations, and others have gotten wind of just how sleazy the porn-trolling business model is, trolling law firms have faced more and more obstacles. One trolling firm hit a new low on Tuesday, when an exasperated federal judge in Tampa, FL, threw out its copyright infringement case.
In a surreal court session, Judge Mary Scriven grilled several individuals with ties to Prenda Law, a law firm that specializes in copyright trolling, and its alleged client, a porn company called Sunlust Pictures. (We say "alleged" because Prenda now claims, unconvincingly, that it was never involved in the case.) It quickly became obvious that no one in the courtroom had any significant ties to the supposed plaintiffs, or even knowledge of who they were. So Judge Scriven dismissed the case for, among other things, "attempted fraud on the Court" for sending a "representative" to court who knew next to nothing about the company he was representing.
State of confusion
In an expose published earlier this year, the blog Fight Copyright Trolls details how Illinois attorney John Steele opened a branch of his law practice in Miami despite not being licensed to practice law in Florida. A Florida attorney who specializes in representing defendants in troll cases, Graham Syfert, thought Steele's operation seemed fishy and asked the Florida Bar to investigate. The bar got Steele to sign an affidavit promising not to practice law in Florida.Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments
DIGITAL JUICE
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank's!