This is big… BIG news. Having a judge rule that the boilerplate copyright infringement complaint is insufficient forces the “copyright troll” attorneys to write more specific allegations… something they would like to avoid AT ALL COSTS. This is one judge in one federal court, but now there is case law in Washington that the other judges must follow as “law.” Other federal courts in other states will refer to this case for support, but they will not be bound by it. Looking for more rulings like this one in other federal courts. Go justice!
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Thank you, Rob.
I receive feedback mostly from attorneys, and it is natural: a layperson who reads this for the first time, expectedly reacts “so what?” Tech media is silent on this huge issue while reacting promptly to Prenda farcical yet insignificant happenings: we should do our best to emphasize the significance of Judge Lasnik’s ruling.
Agree 100%. Pleadings are the BIG GOLDEN GATE a lawsuit must pass through before a judge considers whether the lawsuit is valid enough on its face to continue. A faulty pleading meant NO LAWSUIT for the plaintiff (unless they are willing to correct the pleading with something that complies with the higher pleading standards). I’m glad that you caught this case and this ruling. It *is* a very important one — specifically one I will be sharing with my clients and judges I speak to regularly.
I should air my frustration a bit earlier 🙂 TorrentFreak just posted.
Glad Ernesto picked up the story as well. He’s been very helpful over the years. Again, the link [in long form] is:
http://torrentfreak.com/judge-ip-address-does-not-prove-copyright-infringement-140121/
I laughed when he referred to you as “troll watcher SJD.”
I have been recently hit by a torrent troll. It’s with The Company You Keep with the parting being Voltage Pictures. The Law Firm is Takiguchi & Vogt. They are asking for $3500. I called the lawyer and asked him lets negotiate a lower price. Got it down to $2250 but have not signed anything. What options do I have? Is it better to settle then deal with the headaches of this hovering over one’s head. If I settle does this mean that they can’t come after me anymore or will their be other lawsuits after settling? The law firm has been known to file individual suits. I’m just trying to weigh my options.