Copyright infringement allegations are a growing industry in the U.S. right now. That is the key reason why law firms have recently resorted to all kinds of measures to dig out copyright violators. Now, it has been found that a law firm posted video clips on The Pirate Bay, only to bait the potential violators and then launch a case against them.
The whole thing is being termed a honeypot operation since the law firm uses porn clips to lure the users into downloading its copyright data. The whole thing was foiled when it was realized that the IP addresses of a Pirate Bay uploader, Sharkmp4, and that of an attorney associated with Prenda Law, were the same.
The user in question has uploaded a total of 40 pornographic videos and has been uploading files to Pirate Bay since 2011. Evidence now suggests that Prenda Law has been using these clips to launch its own copyright infringement suits.
The law firm is notoriously known for resorting to unusual, and often borderline illegal, tactics to nab copyright violators. In fact, at times, the law firm has been found to be crossing the red line itself, being fined by a judge to the tunes of $80,000.
The role of the Pirate Bay was critical in unearthing the whole ploy of the Prenda Law. TPB conventionally doesn’t store the IP addresses of the users but recently, it started doing so when the site was the risk of being downed. It was through the history of the Sharkmp4’s IP address that the actual identity of the user was revealed.
Courtesy: PC World
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