Call it legal XXX-tortion. Porn companies filed lawsuits against thousands of ‘John Does’ across the country.
The producers of “Blondie in Trouble,” “Illegal Ass 2” and other adult movies have accused unknown defendants of downloading the raunchy movies illegally through the online file sharing network BitTorrent and are trying to force the Internet service providers to release their names.
I think anyone who does an even routine checkup of PACER had noticed these lawsuits. Even if another reporter beat me* to get to the bottom of them, the real story’s fascinating.
THE MONEY PULL QUOTE: “You receive a letter that says you downloaded ‘Transsexual Dykes in Bondage.’ If you don’t send us the $1,500, we’ll file in court with your name on it,” said David Abrams of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. “Even if you haven’t done it, it could be very upsetting to know that there’s going to be a court document … which says you are accused of downloading this file.”
**Seriously. I emailed myself in October: “My favorite lawsuit of the year: “Illegal Ass 2” v. bittorrent” #UGHHH regrets
