Thread: Mass BitTorrent Lawsuits Now Target Private Trackers

I read somewhere that Peerguardian could actually be used to narrow down who is doing the illegal downloading based on the requests they deny.
I forget, I read it on one of the RIAA guys' blog. It was a former member who discussed how he might go about leveraging the knowledge from PG.



I don't use it for that reason, and I've always stuck with private torrents. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it pans out.

This is why even on private trackers I use a huge ipfilter.dat blocklist with my uTorrent.

There are many sources for the file, but I prefer the highly paranoid one - 'emule pawcio ipfilter' from sourceforge. Just google 'emule pawcio ipfilter' to find it. His file is huge, and blocks all the MPAA/RIAA/etc networks, plus a whole host of other networks known to be a source of problems and or trouble. Compare the 18 meg ipfiter.dat from him to the other ~3 meg files that block far fewer networks and you'll understand why I use it. I know it works, and I have even helped friends who were getting letters on public sites install it and they never received another notice again.

Nothing is perfect as any security person knows, but I won't torrent without that file plugged in to uTorrent.

I hope this doesn't set a trend of going after private sites. Wow.

i use uIpfilterX and it has regular updates

I've said this before in another thread. You also have to realize they won't go after the users. It's the trackers they want. Sort of like going after the drug suppliers rather then the addicts. Better to cut everyone off at the source. It's like trying to capture all the fish in a lake. It's easier to drain the water then try to catch each fish by hand.

Much like getting struck by lightning though there are cases of users getting 'fined' or 'sued'. But they're used as a scare tactic. The large corporations realize they'd be biting off more then could chew going after everyone. Plus they'd also risk pissing everyone off and losing more money via boycotts.

Originally Posted by diegocross

I've said this before in another thread. You also have to realize they won't go after the users. It's the trackers they want. Sort of like going after the drug suppliers rather then the addicts. Better to cut everyone off at the source. It's like trying to capture all the fish in a lake. It's easier to drain the water then try to catch each fish by hand.

Much like getting struck by lightning though there are cases of users getting 'fined' or 'sued'. But they're used as a scare tactic. The large corporations realize they'd be biting off more then could chew going after everyone. Plus they'd also risk pissing everyone off and losing more money via boycotts.

This analysis is incomplete, at least in the U.S. and England, where small, unknown law firms have pioneered suing BT users en masse, not as a deterrent but as a way to monetize illegal file sharing. In the U.S., a tiny law firm in Virginia (~10 lawyers) branded itself the U.S. Copyright Group and has already sued tens of thousands of downloaders this year. The first batch of lawsuits (about 14,000 users) is expected to yield revenue of about $20 million to be split between the lawyers, the copyright holders and the IT company providing the technology to prove up the infringement allegations. They eventually plan to sue upwards of 150,000 BT users. I can assure you that other enterprising lawyers will look to flood this market and sue anyone they can get their hands on since the economics are so compelling. If you are in the U.S. or England and continue to use BT file sharing, it is imperative that you keep your real IP address out of the swarm if you want to minimize risk. Peer Guardian et al are not enough. Take care, don't be stupid and don't assume you are safe on private trackers. That is my advice.

Originally Posted by Rellik

This analysis is incomplete, at least in the U.S. and England, where small, unknown law firms have pioneered suing BT users en masse, not as a deterrent but as a way to monetize illegal file sharing. In the U.S., a tiny law firm in Virginia (~10 lawyers) branded itself the U.S. Copyright Group and has already sued tens of thousands of downloaders this year. The first batch of lawsuits (about 14,000 users) is expected to yield revenue of about $20 million to be split between the lawyers, the copyright holders and the IT company providing the technology to prove up the infringement allegations. They eventually plan to sue upwards of 150,000 BT users. I can assure you that other enterprising lawyers will look to flood this market and sue anyone they can get their hands on since the economics are so compelling. If you are in the U.S. or England and continue to use BT file sharing, it is imperative that you keep your real IP address out of the swarm if you want to minimize risk. Peer Guardian et al are not enough. Take care, don't be stupid and don't assume you are safe on private trackers. That is my advice.

I can't put my hands on it right now, but I believe they (USCG) won the "collective" suite effort (in this last mass suite), and received the court order allowing them the legal leverage obtain customer details from the ISP's.

In that same (or approximate time frame) article I believe they (USCG) have also contacted somthing like 15 law firms in the US, to help bring those who don't "settle" to court.

I also believe there is a group gearing up to challenge these "mass" law suites... We really need to support them when and if they offer resistance. The ironic thing is... The USCG was caught stealing a competitors website payment portal... I guess it's "OK" if they do it...

So bottom line, take Rellik's advice to heart and don't stick your head in the ground, or play games with this. We all had better learn how to torrent safely, or one of us may find a nasty letter in the mail from one of these groups..

Yep, all true. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been leading the charge against the USCG. They tried to get the suits split into individual lawsuits but the court sided with the USCG and kept all of the suits joined as one mass lawsuit. The court still has yet to rule on the venue issue--that is the question of legal propriety in suing all downloaders in one court in Washington D.C. The EFF has resources located on its website if you go get sued by the USCG. Hopefully no one here has to experience that.

Wow, so I stand corrected. All of that was fascinating to read. Being in Canada I'm outside of the bubble. It's sort of like a reverse class action law suit, where the company sues the masses.

Still 15k of users is such a tiny pool. The majority all people I know (and they aren't big computer people in any sense), download via torrents. I agree that the american justice system once the doors do swing open to such a law will see a flood of these cases. And that's when people should really start to worry... or move to Canada!! So definitely The Electronic Frontier Foundation should be supported in whatever capacity people can.

Originally Posted by Rellik

This analysis is incomplete, at least in the U.S. and England, where small, unknown law firms have pioneered suing BT users en masse, not as a deterrent but as a way to monetize illegal file sharing. In the U.S., a tiny law firm in Virginia (~10 lawyers) branded itself the U.S. Copyright Group and has already sued tens of thousands of downloaders this year. The first batch of lawsuits (about 14,000 users) is expected to yield revenue of about $20 million to be split between the lawyers, the copyright holders and the IT company providing the technology to prove up the infringement allegations. They eventually plan to sue upwards of 150,000 BT users. I can assure you that other enterprising lawyers will look to flood this market and sue anyone they can get their hands on since the economics are so compelling. If you are in the U.S. or England and continue to use BT file sharing, it is imperative that you keep your real IP address out of the swarm if you want to minimize risk. Peer Guardian et al are not enough. Take care, don't be stupid and don't assume you are safe on private trackers. That is my advice.

very interesting, just wondering, how would one keep their real IP out of the swarm? if im not already?