This sort of news always brings a smile to my face
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161110/09575136011/take-note-copyright-troll-gets-stiff-response-someone-it-tried-to-bully-immediately-runs-away.shtmlIt should be well known by readers of this site that copyright trolls are essentially bullies. They send out their settlement threat letters, hoping to extort money from a public that typically doesn't know better than to be terrified by the legalese claims within the letters. It's a practice fraught with deception, as the evidence referenced in the letters typically amounts to nothing more than an IP address -- which itself may or may not be correct -- while the threats themselves can often times include consequences not remotely plausible. Still, the bullying goes on, because it works enough to make it profitable.
That's why it's important to highlight how these bullies tend to respond when a target decides to stand up to them.
One recent example of this is James Collins, who received a troll letter from LHF Productions, the company behind the movie London Has Fallen. The company accused Collins of both downloading the movie via BitTorrent, as well as then making it available to others via the same means. Rather than acquiescing, however, Collins got himself a lawyer and had him punch back.
Many folks do indeed give up all hope of justice and settle with these temporary rights-holding trolls simply because they feel the onus is on them to prove they didnt undertake the act they are accused of, the real burden of proof however is on the accuser and simply having an IP address means nothing as anyone could have been using the Internet connection at the time, the criminal copyright law states clearly that if someone is accused they are entitled to see some proof (or a reasonable preponderance of evidence in a civil case) that they themselves committed the alleged act
themselves that is after all why someones name appears on the letter the trolls send, as long as its not you who undertook (or sanctioned anyone else to undertake) such activity then there is nothing to be concerned over, simply send the company accusing you a denial of their claim and if your bored a bill for your time and postage, as the article makes clear, show no weakness and never simply give in to extortionists, if you settle these people are unlikely to simply go away but may target you repeatedly if your seen as an easy source of revenue.
