Why I suspect MG Premium Ltd. will soon be suing defendants.

mg-premium-ltd-lawsuits-coming

MG Premium Ltd. is the owner of the websites containing adult content, [specifically, “Reality Kings,” “Brazzers,” “MOFOS,” “Babes.com,” “Twistys,” and others]. While at the moment they appear to be merely “shaking down” adult film websites [e.g., last year, WAXTUBE.COM; this year, YESPORNPLEASE.COM and/or VSHARE.IO], I cannot help but to think that MG Premium Ltd. will soon be suing downloaders accused of streaming their copyrighted adult films on Tube-like websites. 

[Less likely (because they have already tried this in the US with CEG-TEK), I suspect that MG Premium might again begin sending DMCA settlement demand letters to US-based accused internet users just as they are currently doing in Sweden as I write this article (currently, they are trying to shake down 16,594 accused internet users in Sweden who have been observed downloading their adult film titles).]

mg-premium-ltd. Pornhub has been ordered to expose copyright infringers

Why I think MG Premium’s lawsuits will catch internet users who are STREAMING CONTENT rather than downloading videos on BITTORRENT SWARMS:

In April of 2017, I suggested that in the future, internet users will be caught viewing streamed Tube-like videos.  I suggested that based on the Pornhub lawsuit (MG Premium Ltd. owns Pornhub.com), viewers of adult content would get caught by the Google Analytics tracker which is installed on many websites using Google Analytics to track their users. 

This would be a “next-gen” kind of lawsuit where the copyright holders move past tracking bittorrent use (an outdated method of tracking downloaders), and they would start using the pirated porn websites themselves to track the users by their IP address.

Unfortunately, I was wrong about the tracker, but I was right about the concept.  Instead of Google Analytics, I should have been looking at Cloudflare, the content delivery network (“CDN”) provider which hosts a majority of the content online. 

In the near future, I expect [from mere 1+1 observation] that MG Premium Ltd. will soon launch lawsuits against John Doe defendants… but not based on bittorrent use.  Rather, they will have companies such as Cloudflare turn over the IP address logs of which IP addresses accessed the pirated adult films on which dates and times.

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

WHO IS MG PREMIUM LTD.?

MG Premium Ltd. is a subsidiary of Mindgeek. According to Ernesto from Torrentfreak, “[MG Premium Ltd.] the company, formerly known as Manwin, owns one of the most visited adult websites, Pornhub, and is also the driving force behind YouPorn, Redtube, Tube8, Xtube, and dozens of other sites.”

TechNadu, “MindGeek is the owner of Pornhub, one of the most visited porn websites in the world, as well as the owner of well-known adult production companies.”

NOTE: MG PREMIUM LTD. ALSO USED TO ACT UNDER THE NAME FROYTAL SERVICES LTD., THEN THEY ACTED UNDER THE NAME “MANWIN CONTENT.”

HISTORY: MG PREMIUM LTD USED A COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT COMPANY TO SEND DMCA SETTLEMENT DEMAND LETTERS.

The last time I saw MG Premium Ltd. acting in the “copyright trolling” space was in 2014-2016 when they hired Copyright Enforcement Group (“CEG-TEK”) to send settlement demand letters asking for money every time an accused downloader downloaded one of their thousands of copyrighted titles.

At the time, MG Premium Ltd. was using the business entity name “Froytal Services Limited”. I was tracking them for some time trying to warn those downloading their titles that they will receive a settlement demand letter from MG Premium Ltd. and others using CEG-TEK’s services. At the time, they were asking for $300/title allegedly downloaded, but back then, the Strike 3 Holdings, LLC “Tushy, Vixen, and Blacked” lawsuits did not yet get started.

In 2015, the average settlement for an MG Premium Ltd. case was something like $900 (~3 titles displayed on CEG-TEK’s page). Now we are seeing Strike 3 Holdings, LLC lawsuits ask for settlements closer to $30,000 or $40,000 and I have no doubt that MG Premium Ltd. has noticed.

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

MG PREMIUM LTD. IN 2015:

In 2014-2015, most internet users at that time were fearful about $150,000 copyright infringement lawsuits filed in federal courts, as we see today with the Strike 3 Holdings LLC and (and in past years with the Malibu Media LLC lawsuits).

In 2015, MG Premium Ltd. (via CEG-TEK) went around the US federal courts and used the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) to “politely ask” the ISPs to forward their settlement demand letter to ISP subscriber’s e-mail address on file.

Using DMCA settlement demand notices [which went into the e-mail inbox of ISP account holders], MG Premium Ltd. accused the ISP account holders of copyright infringement.

They threatened that they could file a copyright infringement lawsuit against them in federal court. However, “to avoid litigation,” they were willing to have the accused downloaders pay CEG-TEK (their agent) a modest settlement anonymously and conveniently using a credit card.

CEG-TEK was the company they hired to set up the settlement payment website and to handle the settlement negotiations should an accused downloader have multiple titles claimed against him (and most did).

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

I knew that tracking the piracy of every one of their adult films was prohibitively expensive because the huge amount of computer resources it would take to track every single bittorrent swarm containing the various versions leaking on the internet of each of their movie titles (1080p, 720, high definiton (HD), low definition, clips, siterips, mistitled swarms, etc.).

Thus, I realized that MG Premium Ltd. merely resorted to selecting adult film videos (their most “popular” titles) which they believed would yield the largest number of settlements. For this reason, I posted an list of titles that MG Premium Ltd. was tracking.

The fall of CEG-TEK and the end of MG Premium Ltd.’s copyright trolling DMCA settlement campaign:

There is a lot of history in what ended up killing CEG-TEK’s DMCA settlement business, but to keep things simple, many ISPs got together and created the Six Strikes Anti-Piracy System where the ISPs stopped forwarding CEG-TEK’s settlement demand letters (cutting off MG Premium Ltd.’s ability to collect settlement payments).

Instead of forwarding the DMCA settlement demand letter, under the Six Strikes System, ISPs simply notified their customer that copyright infringement had occurred on their internet connection, and if it did not stop, they would share their identity with the copyright holder (exposing that internet user to a copyright infringement lawsuit in federal court for $150,000 per instance of infringement).

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

The immediate result was that big ISPs were no longer forwarding CEG-TEK’s settlement demand letters. CEG-TEK then expanded the list of ISPs that agreed to forward its DMCA settlement demand letters, but in the end, to no avail.

While the Six Strikes System was meant to support the copyright holders’ interests by sharing user information with them, instead it killed the business of the copyright enforcement companies. It also caused other non-member ISPs to also start refusing to comply with the DMCA rules [as companies such as CEG-TEK and MG Premium Ltd. were exploiting them] by refusing to forward settlement demand letters in their entirety.

Most notable of these ISPs was COX Communications, which was eventually sued by BMG for refusing to send over DMCA notices to its subscribers. There is no doubt a lot to write about the BMG v. Cox lawsuit, but the focus in this article is on MG Premium Ltd., CEG-TEK’s old client.

The Six Strikes System eventually ended (as far as I know), but before this occurred, the idea of sending DMCA letters to internet account users became a useless endeavor.

The last time I spoke to CEG-TEK, they were waiting for the outcome of the BMG v. Cox lawsuit to determine whether they could continue their proprietary DMCA settlement demand letter “adult film copyright enforcement” business, or whether they would sell it to the highest bidder.

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

I suspected at one point that Malibu Media LLC or other prolific copyright trolls would buy CEG-TEK’s DMCA settlement website and proprietary technology, but due to circumstances of Malibu Media LLC filing lawsuits against its own attorney Keith Lipscomb (the attorney running all of the Malibu Media LLC adult film lawsuits across the US), the sale to Malibu Media LLC never happened. (In full disclosure and in hindsight, CEG-TEK would never have sold their business model to Malibu Media LLC based solely on the fact that CEG-TEK tried its best to keep its operations legitimate and Malibu Media LLC had a bad reputation).

Instead, the CEG-TEK company is gathering dust and happily, no MG Premium Ltd. settlement demand letters have been sent out [to US internet] users since 2016.

WHAT NOW?

So where do we go from here? Honestly, at this moment, nowhere. The BMG lawsuit ended with COX settling the claims against it (giving DMCA settlement demand letters from companies such as CEG-TEK and Rightscorp (music) some “teeth” — because now copyright owners could force ISPs to shut down the internet accounts of those accused of copyright infringement — but those who were running CEG-TEK already moved on to other business ventures.

CEG-TEK is in the dustbin, for the moment, adult film company Malibu Media LLC lawsuits have stopped because Malibu Media LLC again is in litigation with their new attorneys, and Strike 3 Holdings, LLC cases are floundering like a fish-out-of-water with some federal court rulings killing their business method of suing accused downloaders for copyright infringement in federal court.

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

The new tactic of “shaking down” large websites hosting pirated content.

No doubt the new tactic of going after the large websites hosting copyrighted content is a very profitable idea for the adult film copyright holders. Instead of shaking down end-users (downloaders) for a few hundred dollars per video, they can shake down significantly deeper pockets — the adult film websites hosting “free” adult film content [and, consequently making millions of dollars in advertising revenue]… and the adult film movie copyright holders want every penny of that revenue.

I am seeing the same trend on the movie front. I understand that movie companies have been going after the websites that are hosting copyrighted movie content… first The Pirate Bay… and most recently, IceFilms.info (currently down, and possibly down forever).

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

My Thoughts: Staying Away From Downloaders is a Good Thing for Downloaders.

If the movie companies and the adult film companies can succeed in shutting down the website owners who host the unlicensed copyrighted movies AND they stop trying to sue and extort thousands of dollars from each accused internet user who was observed downloading the copyrighted movies, this would be a good outcome.

Of course, millions of users who rely on pirated movies and TV shows would be temporarily unable to access their movies without paying some cable company provider or subscription-based providers such as Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, etc., but at least the focus of the copyright holders will be in the right place — trying to stop the AVAILABILITY of pirated content.

…but “a scorpion cannot act in any way other than a scorpion.”

And yet, out comes the jaded part of me which laughs when I consider that “a scorpion cannot act in any way other than a scorpion.” MG Premium Ltd., Strike 3 Holdings, LLC, and other movie copyright trolls are not going to change who they are. They may shed their skin and change their tactics momentarily (perhaps now moving from tracking accused downloaders on Bittorrent to tracking them using Cloudflare or Google Analytics), but they will not stop going after the most profitable source of revenue… the collective deep pockets of those accused of downloading their copyrighted films.

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >

If you are old enough to get the “Little Shop of Horrors” reference, maybe giving the venus fly trap “a drop of blood” at a time to keep it momentarily satiated will stay the coming copyright infringement lawsuits (the “drop of blood” = each movie website who pays the copyright holders a multi-million dollar settlement).

But eventually, I have NO DOUBT that the words “FEED ME SEYMOUR!” will once again begin to ring in the halls of the federal courts across the US as new lawsuits are filed against accused downloaders yet again.

This time, however, I suspect that the copyright trolls will have changed their skin. They will no longer sue accused internet users who used BITTTORENT to download their copyrighted videos, but rather, they will use big-tech companies such as Cloudflare and Google as partners in their “Anti-Piracy” campaign to sue each IP address who visited a particular website and who streamed a particular video on a particular date.

Comparing the Little Shop of Horrors' Venus Fly Trap (Audrey II) to MG Premium Ltd. and their desire for a "drop of blood."
Comparing the Little Shop of Horrors’ Venus Fly Trap (Audrey II) to MG Premium Ltd. and their desire for a “drop of blood.”

Have you read enough? Book Now to get help. > >


[CONTACT AN ATTORNEY: If you have a question for an attorney about MG Premium Ltd. or anything else I have written here, you can e-mail me at [email protected], you can set up a free and confidential phone consultation to speak to us about your circumstances, or you can call us at 713-364-3476 (this is our Cashman Law Firm, PLLC’s number].

CONTACT FORM: If you have a question or comment about what I have written, and you want to keep it *for my eyes only*, please feel free to use the form below. The information you post will be e-mailed to me, and I will be happy to respond.

    NOTE: No attorney client relationship is established by sending this form, and while the attorney-client privilege (which keeps everything that you share confidential and private) attaches immediately when you contact me, I do not become your attorney until we sign a contract together.  That being said, please do not state anything “incriminating” about your case when using this form, or more practically, in any e-mail.

    REVISITED: Beware of the defense attorney “settlement factory.”

    This post was originally written as a “rant” against volume-based “settlement factory” attorneys.  At the time, the kind of damage they caused to accused defendants in bittorrent cases was unknown, as was their existence.  Even today, settlement factory defense attorneys continue to feed inquiring ‘John Doe’ subpoena recipients false information.  

    As a result, settlement prices paid to copyright trolls often end up being artificially inflated.  As of 4/17/2017, I have revisited the topic, and it is still as valid today as it was one year ago.

    After writing this article, Ernesto from Torrentfreak wrote an article entitled, “BEWARE: PIRACY DEFENSE LAWYERS CAN BE “TROLLS” TOO.“.  -Rob Cashman

    Beware of Attorney Settlement Factories

    I started writing this article because there is too much conflicting information floating around the web about whether to settle a bittorrent-based copyright infringement lawsuit.  The attorneys who are causing this confusion are trying to profit from the current broken state of the copyright laws.  These attorneys use fear tactics and manipulation to scare a John Doe Defendant into settling with their law firm.  

    Credible Websites Teach That Settlement is NOT a Requirement

    There are credible websites that blog almost daily on copyright troll issues.  

    see “Fight Copyright Trolls,”

    see “Die Troll Die.”

    Copyright Trolls Do Not Take Cases To Trial

    Because copyright infringement lawsuits are often based on scare tactics, and because copyright troll attorneys name only a small sliver of defendants sued, ignoring a copyright troll and his threats can be a good strategy.

    IGNORING A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CLAIM AGAINST YOU CAN OFTEN BE A VIABLE OPTION TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM (WITHOUT SPENDING $$$$ ON A LAWYER). 

    Thus, beware of the so-called “defense” attorneys who tell you that you will lose your home and your life savings if you do not settle.

    What are “SETTLEMENT FACTORY” defense attorneys?

    NOTE: In this section, I give you the red flags to look for to spot these attorneys, and I hope this helps clarify some of the conflicting information you get from speaking to different attorneys.

    “SETTLEMENT FACTORIES” are what I call law firms who focus on providing apparent “low cost settlements” to clients (as you will see, the settlements end up not being low cost).

    These settlement factory law firms hire multiple attorneys to solicit and lure accused ‘John Doe’ defendants into hiring them “for a cheap and anonymous settlement.”

    From a business perspective, more attorneys for the business owner means the ability to make more phone calls to solicit more accused defendants [to process more settlements], and the ability to “capture” more clients for their law firm means more profits.

    SETTLEMENT FACTORY law firms PRE-ARRANGE settlement amounts.

    Rather than actually negotiate a good settlement for their client, settlement factories run what I refer to as a “volume business.” They PRE-ARRANGE an often inflated settlement price with the copyright holder, so the copyright troll will agree to the arrangement.

    In return, the copyright troll allows that so-called attorney to not have to negotiate the settlement for each client, since they have a prearranged agreed-upon “settlement amount.”

    Why settlement factory attorneys are PART OF THE PROBLEM of copyright trolling.

    This arrangement creates a “cottage industry,” where the defense attorney and the plaintiff attorney (who are supposed to be opponents) are allies for profit.  Settlement factory attorneys are part of the problem of copyright trolling; they are not part of the solution, and the only one that gets hurt is the accused defendant.  Why?  Because with settlement factories, the accused defendant almost NEVER gets the lowest possible settlement amount.

    SETTLEMENT FACTORY law firms DO NOT NEGOTIATE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS either.

    What compounds the problem is that negotiating the settlement is only HALF of the solution. The SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT itself must also be negotiated.  However, settlement factory attorneys do not negotiate settlements either (even though they tell you they do).

    Why settlement agreements need to be negotiated.

    Settlement agreements need to be negotiated because “boilerplate” settlement agreements contain ADMISSIONS OF GUILT and UNFRIENDLY LANGUAGE.

    These boilerplate settlement agreements do not protect the client because they often:

    1. do not properly identify the accused defendant by name,
    2. they do not contain proper confidentiality clauses (to stop the plaintiff attorney from suing again or asking for more money later on), and
    3. they do not release the accused defendant from liability.
    Settlement factory defense attorneys.

    As a result of this article, settlement factory attorneys will take steps to hide their scheme.

    For me, where writing this article will become infuriating is that suddenly these attorneys and their “beefed up” staff of hired attorneys will now start advertising 1) that they spend the time to actively negotiate the best settlement for their client, and 2) that they take the careful time to negotiate the terms of the settlement agreement so that the accused John Doe Defendant will be released from liability and the negotiated terms will properly protect the client’s rights.  Sure they will.

    ‘RED FLAGS’ TO SPOT A SETTLEMENT FACTORY

    I know settlement factory attorneys follow this blog, and thus all I could say is “caveat emptor.”

    At the time of writing this blog, here are the items to look for:

    1) How long that attorney has been in practice [REMEMBER: “Copyright Troll” mass bittorrent lawsuits targeting multiple “John Doe” defendants have only been in existence only since 2010, so any attorney who claims he has been fighting copyright trolls for 20 years is obviously lying.],

    2) Check the attorney’s blog to see the HISTORY of his articles — was he one of the first attorneys who fought these cases, or is he a new “me too” copycat attorney who is standing on the shoulders of giants? (after reading this, no doubt these attorney will now add “older” articles to make their website look older),

    3) Check the blog article itself for “SEO OPTIMIZED” content, or “KEYWORDS” placed into the article.  Ask yourself, “was the purpose of this article to provide me valuable information? or was the purpose of the article to bulk it up with keywords so that search engine spiders will reward the author with first page rankings on the search engines?

    2017 UPDATE: When I mentioned SEO OPTIMIZED content, I am referring to the fact that settlement factory blog articles lack content.  In our blog, we have over 200+ information-packed articles that we wrote TO EDUCATE.  Obviously many clients came to our firm as a result of our articles, and this is fine.  However, settlement factories have ONE MOTIVE ONLY: TO PROFIT.  Look for sites that advertise to you rather than inform you and educate you.

    4) Last, but not least, check the EARLY ARTICLES of the blog to see whether the attorney actually tried to fight these cases and hash out the legal arguments, or whether they were merely reporting on the lawsuits already in existence to attract new business.  I call these attorneys “me too” attorneys, and you can usually spot them because all they do is report the cases.

    AUTHENTICITY AND ORIGINALITY

    In 2010, I and a small handful of attorneys were contacted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (better known as EFF) to help understand and resolve the developing copyright troll problem.  This was back when ISPs began sending letters out to their subscribers informing them that their ISP would be handing out their contact information and their identity to the plaintiff attorney / copyright holders unless they filed objections (or, “motions to quash”) with the courts. Thus, I credit the EFF for even noticing the copyright troll problem and contacting us to figure out what to do about it.

    COPYCATS / FOR PROFIT ATTORNEYS

    Unfortunately (or, fortunately, however you see it), that initial list of 20 attorneys has grown to over 100+ names, and some attorneys have negotiated with EFF to list them as representing clients in multiple states, hence increasing their visibility in an ever-growing list of lawyers. Watch for these attorneys — they are usually the “settlement factories” I referenced above, and again, caveat emptor.

    REPUTABLE ATTORNEYS DO EXIST

    Let’s pretend, for a moment, that you did not like me or my use of pretrial strategies (often making use of federal procedure) to defend a client. Or, let’s pretend for a moment that I could not take you as a client (e.g., because my case load was full, or because I did not have time to speak to you about your matter).

    Because there were only a handful of us attorneys on the original EFF list who knew anything about these copyright infringement lawsuits, over the years, we have become friends and have helped each other out on many of the lawsuits in which we represented both John Doe Defendants and “named and served” defendants. Some of these attorneys are still around today, and some have moved on to other areas of law.  Some of them have stopped taking clients because fighting mass bittorrent cases has become more burdensome than the effort was worth (especially when some copyright holders do not play fairly in discovery [think, Malibu Media, LLC]).

    PIPEDREAMS AND REFERRALS

    Finding “that special client who will pay my fees to fight this case to trial” for many attorneys has become an unrealized pipe dream, and is something us attorneys often discuss.  If you truly want to fight your case, I have nothing wrong with either me, or anyone else I trust representing you in your lawsuit (I will happily tout another attorney’s merits and advanced skillsets when speaking to clients). AND, I will happily refer you to someone if I find that one of my peers would better assist you.

    NO REFERRAL FEES

    I *DO NOT* believe in referral fees, nor do I “share the workload” with other attorneys (this is code word for “I referred you this client, so pay me a piece of the legal fees you receive and call it paying me for my “proportional efforts.”).  This is something that is often done in my field which, in my opinion, needs to stop.

    Over the years, I have upset many non-copyright attorneys who know nothing about these cases.  In the typical fashion, they call me with a client they would like to refer to me (coincidentally, asking to share in the fees, but not in the work).  I have rejected each request.

    So in hindsight, while I thought I’d be reintroducing “copyright troll” subpoenas and basic copyright infringement concepts to clear up some conflicting information found on the web, instead I am providing a clear warning to those who are being actively solicited by law firms. A law firm simply should not be calling you or contacting you to solicit your business.

    BACK TO IGNORING A CLAIM OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

    Copyright trolls sue many John Doe Defendants in one case, but only a small number of them are named and served.  When you are evaluating your options, STOP AND CONSIDER THE OPTION OF *NOT SETTLING*, BECAUSE *NOT SETTLING* A CLAIM OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CAN OFTEN BE A GOOD IDEA.

    Similarly, in a lawsuit, DOING NOTHING MAY OFTEN BE YOUR BEST STRATEGIC MOVE, as counterintuitive as that might sound.  Again, this is because much of the ‘copyright trolling’ problem is based on a bluff — namely, that the copyright holders have evidence against you, and they will take you to trial if you do not pay them money to settle.

    A Settlement Factory attorney makes NO MONEY if you ignore.

    When you are bombarded with attorneys and law firms who actively market their fear-based services by using “Google AdWords” (ethically or unethically “buying” more well known attorney’s names as keywords so that THEY show up at the top of a search).  Then, those attorneys have their “assistant” attorneys calling you and pushing you to anonymously settle the claims against you, think twice. Is this person trying to get you to be yet one more client in their “volume” business??

    WHY WE DISCUSS THE “IGNORE” OPTION WITH EVERY POTENTIAL CLIENT

    In every one of my calls, I discuss what I call the “ignore” option which in many people’s scenario is a viable option. In many cases, I even push a client towards the “ignore” side of things.

    [NOTE: There are many political reasons I have for this, such as “not feeding the troll,” or “not funding their extortion-based scheme,” or simply because I have been trying to change the copyright laws to limit or hinder a copyright holder’s ability to accuse or sue an internet user for the violation of that copyright holder’s copyrights, but NONE OF THOSE REASONS ARE REASON WHY I SUGGEST SOMEONE I SPEAK TO IGNORES THE CLAIMS AGAINST THEM.]

    WHEN TO CONSIDER THE “IGNORE” OPTION.

    Sometimes an individual’s circumstances allow them to ignore the lawsuit filed against them (or the copyright violation claimed against them in the DMCA notice).  Such factors include:

    1) the individual’s financial situation,

    2) whether they live in an apartment or a home,

    3) the location of that apartment or home,

    3) the state in which the plaintiff attorney has his law firm,

    4) whether that copyright holder authorizes his attorneys [and pays their fee] to “name and serve” defendants and move forward with trial,

    5) for strategy purposes, e.g., the psychological impact of having one or more John Doe Defendants ignore the claims against them (while other defendants rush to settle in fear of being named and served), or

    6) simply because ignoring is the only option in that person’s situation.

    IN SUMMARY

    In summary, this has been a stream of thought article, but if you have made it to this point, you now understand the difference between a defense attorney who does settlements (among other forms of representation), and the settlement factory.

    If the attorney you are speaking to is running your case as a volume business, or he is pushing you towards a “quick anonymous settlement” without showing you the merits of either 1) IGNORING, or 2) DEFENDING the claims against you, beware.

    And if you need help and want my honest opinion about your case, or whether a particular attorney is engaging in a certain practice, just ask me.  I do not need to have all of you as clients, and I will answer you honestly.  And if you need, I will provide you a referral.


    CONTACT FORM: If you have a question or comment about what I have written, and you want to keep it *for my eyes only*, please feel free to use the form below. The information you post will be e-mailed to me, and I will be happy to respond.

      NOTE: No attorney client relationship is established by sending this form, and while the attorney-client privilege (which keeps everything that you share confidential and private) attaches immediately when you contact me, I do not become your attorney until we sign a contract together.  That being said, please do not state anything “incriminating” about your case when using this form, or more practically, in any e-mail.

       

      All I know about Rightscorp Inc in One Page

      RightsCorp Inc. | Digital Rights Corp | DMCA Settlement Letters

      RIGHTSCORP THEN AND NOW

      Rightscorp Inc. has always been the bastard child of the RIAA. Backed by the RIAA, Rightscorp Inc. uses the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) to send DMCA copyright notices to the accused music downloaders. Rightscorp has been known to strongarm the ISPs and force them to identify the account holders who allegedly downloaded copyrighted titles belonging to Rightscorp Inc. clients.  Then, they forward these accused downloaders multiple settlement demand notices threatening that they will be sued for $150,000 per instance of copyright infringement unless they pay a measly sum of $20-$75 per instance of infringement.

      RIGHTSCORP WAS THE GIANT THAT WOKE UP IN 2013

      Rightscorp Inc. came on my radar in June of 2013, where I wrote the article, “RIAA Giant Waking Up and Luring Defendants into Settlements.” At the time I wrote that article, I was spending a considerable amount of time helping clients who received similar notices for adult films they allegedly downloaded, but through Copyright Enforcement Group (CEG-TEK), another copyright monetization outfit.  Because there was confusion between CEG-TEK and Rightscorp, I wrote an article explaining the differences between them.

      Rightscorp Inc. DMCA Letters ‘Smelled’ Like a Trap

      Knowing the DMCA rules and the ways copyright holders enforced them, something ‘smelled wrong’ with the Rightscorp Inc. letters. The Rightscorp Inc. company (a.k.a., “Digital Rights Corp”) itself seemed legitimate, but the way they handled their DMCA notices caused me to think that they were up to a scam. I sensed that the $20 settlement letters (recently increased to $75 per title) were a trap, and I recommended that recipients of those letters ignore them. Here is what I wrote in 2013 on the topic:

      “What is bothering me, however, is that the release on their https://secure.digitalrightscorp.com/settle website (pasted below) releases the accused defendant from their claim of copyright infringement for a mere $20, but it has the defendant ADMITTING GUILT to the infringement. Thus, in legal terms, an accused internet user who pays the $20 may be released from liability for THAT instance of infringement, but the next time they catch that user downloading, they can not only sue for the full $150,000 (or ask for TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS as a settlement), but in court, they would use the prior settlement as EVIDENCE OF GUILT that the accused defendant habitually downloads copyrighted videos and TV shows.

      To be clear: EVERY settlement agreement for copyright infringement should have language stating that the accused defendant is not admitting guilt, or else the act of settling a copyright infringement claim can be construed as an “admission” of guilt in a court. Specifically, the language (e.g., taken from CEG-TEK’s settlements) would say something like “this Liability Release represents a compromise and that nothing herein is to be construed as an admission of liability on the part of RELEASEE.” This language appears to be purposefully ABSENT from the RightsCorp Settlement Agreements.”

      Rightscorp Inc. DMCA Settlement Notices Ended Up Being A Trap

      I worried that a client who settled a Rightscorp Inc. copyright infringement notice subjected himself to future claims of copyright infringements. Every settlement was an admission of guilt, and it turned out that Rightscorp Inc. sent many follow-up DMCA notices to the individual who paid their “friendly” $20 fee.

      Pay One Notice, Receive Twenty More

      Those who paid the DMCA settlement notices on their own often ended up calling me when they received twenty more DMCA settlement notices. For a while, I thought that this was part of their elaborate plan of eliciting hundreds of dollars from each defendant rather than a one-time payment of $20. Unlike CEG-TEK, who at the time would list all of the alleged claims against a particular user in real time (based on the IP addresses they allegedly used to download the copyrighted content), Rightscorp Inc. asked for one settlement at a time, and when you settled one, there was often another one right behind it.

      The Rightscorp scam in my opinion did not start until Rightscorp Inc. started to ask its users for settlements in the thousands of dollars. While the numbers never matched CEG-TEK settlements (where CEG-TEK was asking for $300 per title), Rightscorp settlement numbers often found themselves hovering near the $900-$1,800 range.

      Settling ONE Instance Of Infringement vs. Settling All Past Downloads of a Title

      The reason Rightscorp was able to increase their settlement amounts was because each settlement was for “one instance of copyright infringement,” which means that if a user downloaded the file twice, they had to pay twice. If they left their bittorrent software on overnight, and that bittorrent software seeded 20 copies of a title to 20 downloaders, that accused downloader would be accused of 20 more instances of infringement.

      This was very different from CEG-TEK, who allowed their settlements to cover “all past instances of infringement regarding that copyrighted title.”

      Rightscorp Inc. Then Used Settlements To Force ISPs To Shut Accounts

      Rightscorp then used the admissions of guilt within the settlement agreements to attempt to strongarm the ISPs to shut down their internet accounts.

      I always thought this was a petty move. I understood that there were some politicians behind the Digital Rights Corp / Rightscorp entity, and that those politicians had no idea how to run a company (which is why Rightscorp stock has been worth only a few pennies for years now). I also understood that Rightscorp Inc. motives were not [at first] to extort money from the accused downloaders such as a copyright troll would, but rather, they wanted to protect their music labels and stop piracy.

      I understand and respect a company who legitimately tries to stop piracy, but Rightscorp Inc. went about it in the wrong way. I always thought that Rightscorp pressuring the ISPs to shut down the internet accounts of those who paid a settlement ransom was vindictive. To me, it just showed the callous disregard for the power Rightscorp wielded like a child who swings a light saber at his infant unsuspecting brother.

      Then Rightscorp Inc. Started Robocalling Accused Downloaders

      Rightscorp then started ‘robocalling’ accused downloaders. They did it recklessly — again, think of a child whacking his infant brother with a lightsaber — and they broke a whole slew of laws in the process. In addition, they called at all hours of the night, and because the company was in my opinion a ‘headless’ company, meaning that there was nobody to call to complain or help resolve a situation, the Rightscorp harassment issues only got worse. Eventually they were sued in a class action lawsuit and had to pay a hefty settlement for their robocalling shenanigans.

      Then Rightscorp Inc. Started Suing Accused Downloaders For $150,000

      I must admit, I lost interest in the Rightscorp shenanigans after I noted that their settlement agreements do not protect the legal rights of those who settle because their settlements amounted to admissions of guilt. Thus, when someone asked me “Should I pay Rightscorp Inc.?” my answer was “not without a valid release that doesn’t have you admitting guilt.”

      However, there was a point that Rightscorp Inc. started filing copyright infringement lawsuits against accused music downloaders in federal court. Each accused defendant was sued for $150,000 statutory damages for the unlawful download of the various music titles they allegedly downloaded via bittorrent.

      Rightscorp defendants deceptively are not told that it is Rightscorp who is suing them.  Rather, they will receive a subpoena relating to some ‘motion to compel’ that they have filed in a federal court.  Their subpoenas force the ISP to hand over account information to a place called “Inquest Resources” at 807 Brazos Street, Suite 805 in Austin, TX.  The subpoenas usually come with a Declaration by Dennis J. Hawk of the Business Law Group under the 17 USC 512(h) statute.

      I don’t have much to say here, except that Jordan Rushie was one of the attorneys who was hired by Rightscorp to file the lawsuits. If I was looking for it, the Jordan Rushie connection with Carl Crowell and RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT was something that I did not make until writing “The Great MPAA/RIAA Scheme To Defraud Copyright Law” in March, 2017).

      Rightscorp Then. Reckless Copyright Troll.

      All I could say about Rightscorp is that is has been a trainwreck. First with the bad settlement agreements. Then with the unruly wielding of power to shut down ISP accounts of infringers. Then the ‘headless’ robocalls. Then the copyright infringement lawsuits. Rightscorp was a reckless copyright troll, and I always sensed that the leadership was delegating orders the management simply could not carry out.  To make matters worse, Rightscorp was in financial ruin (at one point before what appears to have been a ‘cash infusion’ which brought them out of their consistent negative cashflow), and I used to refer to Rightscorp as a “sinking ship.”  As a result, I advised clients to stay far away from them.

      Rightscorp Now. Dangerous Copyright Troll

      Rightscorp in recent years has become more dangerous.  With CEG-TEK out of the way, they are the only copyright enforcement outfit, and the term “power corrupts” applies here.  As a result, Rightscorp feels justified in increasing their settlement amounts unilaterally.  For too many years, I turned away clients hoping they would simply ignore the DMCA notices, but many got caught in Rightscorp’s web of paying a settlement and then being sucked in deeper and deeper into what I still consider to be a copyright enforcement scam.

      In the past year, I have personally taken a number of clients who received Rightscorp’s DMCA notices.  In each case, I needed to negotiate the settlement agreements to prevent my client from admitting guilt, and I needed to negotiate the price to remove many titles that did not belong in a settlement.  Most importantly, I have acted as a shield to my clients to prevent Rightscorp and the underlying copyright holders 1) from contacting my client after a settlement is complete and 2) from seeking additional settlements “for additional titles allegedly downloaded.”  All of this is covered one time in one settlement negotiation.  Lastly, I am more than comfortable telling Rightscorp that my client is not willing to settle (or no longer willing to settle), and that I would be representing them if and when their client files a lawsuit.

      Most telling, Rightscorp is now working to pressure accused downloaders to forego hiring an attorney.  Rather, they are trying to force them to accept their boilerplate contract and lure them into settling without an attorney.  Where a settlement with an attorney may cost the client $75/title (again, per title, not “per instance of infringement”), they are trying to lure accused downloaders by offering $20 per title if the accused downloader agrees to pay the settlement without involving an attorney.

      I’ve considered sounding the alarm on this, but based on my years of covering Rightscorp and their schemes, most people know to call me if they want me to represent them in a settlement or otherwise.

      From the perspective of running our Cashman Law Firm, PLLC, my view of the Rightscorp cases have changed, especially with their most recent push to trick defendants into getting a “discount” for foregoing an attorney.  In the past, we used to decline representing Rightscorp clients because their settlement agreements did not protect the interests of our clients.  However, with their recent push to pull unsuspecting defendants into their scheme (specifically without an attorney), we have lowered our fees to make Rightscorp cases affordable to our clients.

      I still believe there is an awkwardness in taking a client to resolve what is presented to them as a $20 problem. When representing a client in a CEG-TEK DMCA settlement demand notice, clients would come with 3-20 notices (and at $300/claim, the settlement asking price was $900-$6,000 before settlement negotiations).  Thus, CEG-TEK was upfront in telling accused downloaders what they wanted from them, and representing a client and having the client pay our fees made sense.

      Not so with a Rightscorp accused downloader who received those same 3-20 notices.  At a promoted $20/claim [if the accused downloader foregoes using an attorney to negotiate the claims against them], the settlement asking price appears to be only $60-$400.   The later request for “additional titles downloaded” and whatever else is to follow after the settlement is paid is not immediately apparent to them.  Thus, when representing a Rightscorp client, our fee appears to be disproportionately large to what appears to be only a $20 problem.

      For more on this topic, click the “Rightscorp settlement attorney considerations for a set of DMCA notices” article.

      How To Handle a Rightscorp Notice Today

      Rightscorp Inc. is still a failing company (from the point of view of corporate earnings and management). However, from the point of view of an accused downloader of a Jethro Tull music album, or some other piece of music, you must assume that failing to settle could put you at risk of being sued for copyright infringement in federal court. All this being said, when you receive the letter, the Rightscorp problem is still small, and can be managed with the assistance of a lawyer (myself or anyone else).

      How An Attorney Would Represent You In Resolving Your Rightscorp Matter

      [NOTE: For credibility purposes, be aware that since 2013, I recommended that if Rightscorp is unwilling to protect your interests in a settle, do not settle. If you get sued, hire an attorney (again, me, or someone else) because Rightscorp lawsuits likely have the same Guardaley “no evidence” problem I described here). Now that Rightscorp Inc. is trying to convince accused downloaders to forego hiring an attorney, our firm is now actively accepting clients to handle Rightscorp cases.]

      Here is why to retain a lawyer, and what we would do for you.  (Below, when I speak of “you,” I am speaking in a general way. I do not become your attorney (nor should this be considered legal advice) until we sign a contract together.)

      Next Step: Schedule a Consultation

      Follow the three steps below to begin working with a Cashman Law Firm, PLLC attorney:

      1. Schedule a phone appointment to speak to a defense attorney about your matter.

      2. Get, sign, and return retainer agreement.

      3. Sit back, relax, and let us work on your behalf to get you the results you need.

      After scheduling your appointment online, you will be contacted by phone at the specified date and time by a Cashman Law Firm, PLLC attorney.

      Discuss your Rightscorp Case With a Cashman Law Firm Attorney

      Anonymous Settlement

      Remember, when you receive the DMCA notice from your internet provider, you are anonymous, AND YOU SHOULD STAY THAT WAY. Rightscorp has enough of a history to have me recommend that every client of mine who settles does so ANONYMOUSLY.

      Stop Rightscorp From Sending Additional DMCA Notices After a Settlement

      There should be a legal barrier between you and Rightscorp, and hiring an attorney and having me put them on notice that I am representing your account stops them from contacting you in the future. Also, any future communications (or additional DMCA notices) should come through me, as I am the attorney representing you. By having me represent you, we ‘discourage’ Rightscorp or their clients from sending any additional DMCA notices after a settlement is complete. Rather, we ask them to research to see whether there are any outstanding titles claimed against you, and we would include them in the settlement negotiations.

      Negotiate the Settlement, Facilitate the Anonymous Payment

      You would have me review and negotiate the claims with Rightscorp. When they agree to lower the price to something you are comfortable paying, I would facilitate the settlement to make it an ANONYMOUS SETTLEMENT.

      Review Release of Liability

      This is an obvious step to be done before we pay the settlement on your behalf. I am giving this section its own heading because sometimes, custom terms need to be inserted into the Rightscorp agreements to protect a client’s interests. This would be part of the settlement negotiations (above).

      Handle Any Follow-Up Communications From Rightscorp

      This last step happens after the settlement is complete, and we do not charge our clients for this. When we settle the claims, we settle them as an “Anonymous Client” of the Cashman Law Firm, PLLC (using our law firm’s address and e-mail). That way, they have our information on file should they have any follow-up questions.

      After a settlement is complete, in the past, Rightscorp has been known to send additional DMCA notices asking for more money. With our clients, this has not been the case because we ask them to include all claims in the settlement negotiations we do on our client’s behalf. However, should Rightscorp have a question about a settlement, or should a new matter occur, we will speak to them and handle any needed follow-up communications on your behalf, even after we have closed your file. Should any communication occur relating to a matter we have already settled anonymously on your behalf, I will be sure to let you know.

      Next Step: Schedule a Consultation

      Follow the three steps below to begin working with a Cashman Law Firm, PLLC attorney:

      1. Schedule a phone appointment to speak to a defense attorney about your matter.

      2. Get, sign, and return retainer agreement.

      3. Sit back, relax, and let us work on your behalf to get you the results you need.

      After scheduling your appointment online, you will be contacted by phone at the specified date and time by a Cashman Law Firm, PLLC attorney.

      Discuss your Rightscorp Case With a Cashman Law Firm Attorney

      *QUICK UPDATE (7/2017)*: I have created a short Rightscorp FAQ page on my Cashman Law Firm, PLLC website which gives a short overview of the Rightscorp problem.


      FOR IMMEDIATE CONTACT AN ATTORNEY: To set up a free consultation to speak to an attorney about Rightscorp DMCA letter or subpoena, click here.  Lastly, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], or call or SMS 713-364-3476 to speak to me now about your case (I do prefer you read the articles first), or to get your questions answered.

      CONTACT FORM: Alternatively, sometimes people just like to contact me using one of these forms.  If you have a question or comment about what I have written, and you want to keep it *for my eyes only*, please feel free to use the form below. The information you post will be e-mailed to me, and I will be happy to respond.

        NOTE: No attorney client relationship is established by sending this form, and while the attorney-client privilege (which keeps everything that you share confidential and private) attaches immediately when you contact me, I do not become your attorney until we sign a contract together.  That being said, please do not state anything “incriminating” about your case when using this form, or more practically, in any e-mail.

        RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT Sending DMCA Letters for Porn

        CEG-TEK-DMCA-Scare-Letters

        In June, 2014, I exposed the list of porn companies that were working with CEG-TEK.  This upset a lot of adult film companies, who turned around and started having CEG-TEK send letters using a variation on their name (which made no sense to me *IF* the reason they were having CEG-TEK send out DMCA notices was to “encourage ‘pirates’ to sign into their websites legitimately and pay an annual fee”).  Instead, like roaches, these companies scattered, but even so, I still tracked the name changes and I kept this list up to date.

        The reason this list is immediately relevant is because now Carl Crowell is sending out these same DMCA notices to Internet Subscribers through his RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT company.  For more about Crowell or his RIGHTSENFORCEMENT.COM website, click this link.

        Below is a list I compiled from my own records as to which copyright holders are hiring companies to collect $300 per title settlements on their adult film copyrights.  The exciting news from 2017 is that I now have an idea of what are the porn companies which are now working aggressively with Carl Crowell (RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT), including some which were not working with CEG-TEK.  I will list the most active companies first.

        REALITY KINGS (Manwin Content)

        Reality Kings (http://www.realitykings.com).  Reality Kings has obscured their name in the past after I posted the original list in 2014.  They have been known to send out DMCA letters using the names 1) Manwin Content RK Limited DBA Reality Kings, and 2) MG Content RK Limited.  Regardless of the name, it is still Reality Kings.

        Reality Kings is a giant corporation, comprising 45+ separated brand names, each of which have their own website.  Their brand names include:

        40 Inch Plus, Big Tits Boss, Cum Fiesta, Extreme Asses, Girls of Naked, In the VIP, Milf Hunter, Money Talks, RK Prime, See My Wife, Teens Love Huge Cocks, We Live Together, 8th Street Latinas, Bikini Crashers, Cum Girls, Extreme Naturals, HD Love, Mega Cock Cravers, Milf Next Door, Monster Curves, Real Orgasms, Sneaky Sex, Top Shelf Pussy, Wives in Pantyhose, Bad Tow Truck, CFNM Secret, Dangerous Dongs, First Time Auditions, Happy Tugs, Mike in Brazil, Moms Bang Teens, No Faces, Round and Brown, Street Blowjobs, Tranny Surprise, Big Naturals, Captain Stabbin, Euro Sex Parties, Flower Tucci, Hot Bush, Mike’s Apartment, Moms Lick Teens, Pure 18, Saturday Night Latina, Team Squirt, and VIP Crew.

        List of Reality Kings sites.
        This is a list of Reality Kings sites. Each button is clickable and reveals hundreds of subtopics. This list can be found at http://www.realitykings.com/tour/sitemap/videos/

        For a list of some of Reality Kings’ titles that I know they have enforced via the DMCA letters, see my original list in the “ORIGINAL LIST OF PORN COMPANIES SENDING DMCA NOTICES” heading.

        BRAZZERS (MG Premium Ltd.)

        Brazzers (http://www.brazzers.com).  Brazzers also has obscured their name in the past after I posted the original list in 2014.  They have been known to send out DMCA letters using the names 1) Froytal Services Limited DBA Brazzers, and confusingly enough, 2) MG Premium Ltd.  The interesting point to note is that this MG Premium entity seems to be a common thread through a number of the big-name porn companies, which suggests that there is a common owner or entity through which they tunnel their copyright enforcement activities.  At this moment, I am not searching deeper into learning who they are.

        Brazzers is another a giant corporation, comprising 47+ separated brand names, each of which have their own website.  Their brand names include:

        Asses in Public, Baby Got Boobs, Big Butts Like It Big, Big Tits In Sports, Big Tits In Uniform, Bit Tits at School, Big Tits at Work, Bit Wet Butts, Brazzers Exxtra, Brazzers Live, Brazzers Vault, Brazzers en Espanol, Busty & Real, Bustyz, Butts & Blacks, CFNM Day With A Pornstar, Dirty Masseur, Doctor Adventures, Hot And Mean, Hot Chicks Big Asses, JugFuckers, Milfs Like It Big, Mommy Got Boobs, Moms in control, Pornstars Like it Big, Racks & Blacks, Real Wife Stories, SexPro Adventures, Shes Gonna Squirt, Teens Like It Big, and Teens Like It Black.

        As part of their “ZZ Series”, brands include:

        A Brazzers Christmas Special, American Whore Story, Brazzers House, Brazzers Worldwide Budapest, Brazzers Worldwide Paris, Deadly Rain, Ghostbusters XXX Parody, Lost in Brazzers, Lustbite, One Night in the Valley, Pornstar POV, Pussy o Plomo, Storm of Kings XXX Parody, The Whore of Wall Street, and ZZ Erection 2016.

        List of Brazzers Sites
        This is a list of Brazzers sites. Each button is clickable and reveals hundreds of subtopics. This list can be found at http://www.brazzers.com/sitemap/brazzers-porn-directory/

        For a list of some of Brazzers titles that I know they have enforced via the DMCA letters, see my original list in the “ORIGINAL LIST OF PORN COMPANIES SENDING DMCA NOTICES” heading.

        DIGITAL PLAYGROUND (Manwin DP)

        Digital Playground (http://www.digitalplayground.com).  Digital Playground is the third company that obscured their name as soon as I posted the original list in 2014.  They have been known to send out DMCA letters using the names 1) Digital Playground, and more frequently, 2) Manwin DP Corp. DBA Digital Playground.

        Digital Playground is another a giant corporation, comprising 47+ separated brand names, each of which have their own website.  However, unlike Reality Kings and Brazzers, Digital Playground has taken steps to mask the list of brand names by hiding them behind an “A(1), B(5), C(0)…” list.  Thus, I am sharing the full list below:

        Cougerville, Crave, Dirty Santa, DP Presents, DP Star Confidential, DP STAR Seasons 1-5, Flesh, Flesh: House of Hedonism, Girls of Summer, Gym Angels, House Calls, Infernal, Jack’s Back, League of Frankenstein, Lock and Load, London Knights (a Heroes & Villains XXX Parody Series), Rina Ellis Saves The World (a 90s XXX Parody), Sherlock (a XXX Parody), Sisterhood, Sisters of Anarchy, Ski Bums, Stryker, Swans of LA, The Fetish Diaries, The Pleasure Provider, True Detective: A XXX Parody, Wingmen, and 4Ever.

        List of Digital Playground (Manwin) sites.
        This is a list of Digital Playground sites. Each button is clickable and reveals hundreds of subtopics. The complete list can be found at http://www.digitalplayground.com/porn-directory-sitemap/series/

        For a list of some of Digital Playground titles that I know they have enforced via the DMCA letters, see my original list in the “ORIGINAL LIST OF PORN COMPANIES SENDING DMCA NOTICES” heading, below.

        ORIGINAL LIST OF PORN COMPANIES SENDING DMCA NOTICES

        Axel Braun Productions
        – “Batman XXX: A Porn Parody”

        Celestial Inc., DBA Lethal Hardcore
        – Fuck My Mom and Me 17

        Cinderella Distributors Inc.
        – Backdoor To Hollywood 6

        Coast to Coast Video
        – Older Women Younger Men 16

        Combat Zone Inc.
        – Daddy’s Little Princess #2

        Daring Media Group
        – Pretty Woman

        Diabolic
        – Swallowing is Good For You

        Digital Sin, Inc.
        – All About Ashlynn 1
        – Incestuous
        – Little Darlings
        – My Anal School Girl
        – My Plaything Ashlynn Brooke
        – Perfect Little Pussy
        – The Family That Lays Together
        – The Innocence Of Youth #3, #5, #6
        – This Is My First… A Gangbang Movie

        Echo Alpha, Inc. DBA Evil Angel
        – Fetish Fanatic 12
        – Fetish Fuck Dolls 3
        – Raw 16
        – Rocco’s Perfect Slaves 3
        – Rocco’s Young Anal Adventures

        Fallout Films
        – Naughty Girls 2

        Froytal Services Limited DBA Babes (now known as “MG Premium Ltd.”)
        – Abrasador
        – Amatores
        – Dancing With Myself
        – Hearts Racing
        – Love Encounter
        – Raving With Pleasure

        Froytal Services Limited DBA Brazzers (now known as “MG Premium Ltd.”)
        – Dani’s Back and Ready to Play
        – Driving Mrs. Madison Wild
        – I Can Walk!!!
        – Miss Titness America
        – Mommy Got Boobs 15
        – Sharing My Roommate’s Cock (Milfs Like It Big)
        – Slutty Sorority Contest
        – Teens Like It Big 12
        – The Dangers of Working From Home (Kiki Minaj)

        Froytal Services Limited DBA Mofos (now known as “MG Premium Ltd.”)
        – Best Vacation Ever! (Ivy Laine)
        – Cheerleader Fantasy
        – Flashing Gets Her Whatever She Wants
        – Fun And Sex Games
        – I Make It Rain On Your Tits (I Know That Girl; Dillon Harper)
        – Jewels for the Duch-ASS
        – Rub a Dub Gimme a Tug
        – Swinging Slut Buffet

        Froytal Services Limited DBA Twistys (now known as “MG Premium Ltd.”)
        – Burnin’ Luv
        – Cum Over And Taste..

        GGW Direct, LLC DBA “Girls Gone Wild”
        – ALL NEW COLLEGE GIRLS EXPOSED VOL 1
        – ALL NEW COLLEGE GIRLS EXPOSED VOL 2
        – ALL NEW COLLEGE GIRLS EXPOSED VOL 3
        – ALL NEW COLLEGE GIRLS EXPOSED VOL 4
        – ALL NEW COLLEGE GIRLS EXPOSED VOL 5
        – ALL NEW COLLEGE GIRLS EXPOSED VOL 6
        – Baby Bash Live & Uncensored
        – Bad Girls 2
        – BEACH BABES 3
        – BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
        – Best Breasts Ever
        – BEST BREASTS EVER 2
        – Best of Blondes 2
        – Celebrity Look-A-Likes
        – CO-ED TRYOUTS
        – CO-ED TRYOUTS 2
        – CO-ED TRYOUTS 3
        – DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS
        – Endless Spring Break 3
        – Endless Spring Break 4
        – Endless Spring Break 5
        – Endless Spring Break 6
        – Endless Spring Break 7
        – Endless Spring Break 9
        – Endless Spring Break 10
        – Endless Spring Break 11
        – Endless Spring Break 12
        – Endless Spring Break 13
        – Endless Spring Break 14
        – EXTREME ORGY 1
        – EXTREME ORGY 2
        – EXTREME ORGY 3
        – FIRST TIMERS
        – FIRST TIMERS 2
        – Freshman Class
        – FRESHMAN ORIENTATION 1
        – FRESHMAN ORIENTATION 2
        – FRESHMAN ORIENTATION 3
        – FRESHMAN ORIENTATION 4
        – GGW – Extreme Sex
        – GGW – On Tour 1
        – GGW – On Tour 2
        – GGW – On Tour 3
        – GGW – On Tour 4
        – GGW – On Tour 5
        – GGW – On Tour 6
        – GGW – On Tour 7
        – GGW – On Tour 8
        – GGW – Sweet Young Sex Maniacs
        – GIRL POWER
        – GIRL POWER 2
        – GIRL POWER 3
        – GIRL POWER 4
        – GIRL POWER 5
        – GIRL POWER 6
        – GIRL POWER 7
        – GIRL POWER 8
        – GIRL POWER 8
        – GIRL POWER 9
        – Girls On Girls
        – GIRLS WHO CRAVE SEX
        – GIRLS WHO CRAVE SEX 3
        – Girls Who Like Girls
        – GIRLS WHO LIKE TOYS
        – Horny Cheerleaders
        – HORNY SCHOOL GIRLS
        – HORNY SCHOOL GIRLS 2
        – HORNY SCHOOL GIRLS 3 (PRIVATE TAPES)
        – HORNY SCHOOL GIRLS 4
        – Hottest Texas Coeds
        – ISLAND ORGY
        – MARDI GRAS INVASION
        – My 18th Birthday
        – Road Trip
        – ROCKS AMERICA
        – Sex Race
        – SEX STARVED COLLEGE GIRLS 2
        – SEX STARVED COLLEGE GIRLS 3
        – SEX STARVED COLLEGE GIRLS 4
        – SEX STARVED COLLEGE GIRLS 5
        – SEX STARVED COLLEGE GIRLS 6
        – SEX STARVED COLLEGE GIRLS 7
        – SEX STARVED PANTY RAID
        – Sexiest Moments Ever
        – Sexiest Moments Ever 2
        – SORORITY GIRL ORGY
        – SORORITY GIRL ORGY 2
        – SORORITY GIRL ORGY 3
        – SORORITY GIRL ORGY 4
        – Spring Break 2007
        – SPRING BREAK SEX RIOT
        – The Perfect Pair
        – THE SEIZED VIDEO
        – Ultimate Rush
        – Usually a siterip or a torrent containing 25+ titles.
        – Wild World
        – Wildest Bar in America

        Giant Media Group, Inc. DBA Devil’s Film (they have changed this name more than once, but have kept the “Devil’s Film” trade name.)
        – Ass Full Of Cum 4
        – Best Of Gangland Cream Pie
        – Cum On My Hairy Pussy 2
        – Cum On My Hairy Pussy 16
        – Don’t Tell My Wife I Buttfucked Her Best Friend
        – Gangland 70
        – Gangland 85
        – Gangland Cream Pie 24
        – Gangland Cream Pie 25
        – Gangland Cream Pie 26
        – Gangland Cream Pie 27
        – Gangland Cream Pie 28
        – I Wanna Buttfuck Your Daughter 10
        – My Wife Caught Me Assfucking Her Mother
        – My Wife Caught Me Assfucking Her Mother 2
        – My Wife Caught Me Assfucking Her Mother 5

        Girlfriends Films Inc.
        – I Dream of Jo 4 True Passion
        – Mother Daughter Exchange Club 27
        – Poor Little Shyla 2
        – Tides of Lust
        – Lesbian First Timers
        – Lesbian Seductions 46

        Intense Industries
        – Fucking Your Socks Off

        JM Productions Inc.
        – Suck Off Races 3

        JW Releasing Ltd
        – Kinky Business

        Kick Ass Pictures Inc.
        – Foot Fetish Daily 9

        LFP Internet Group, LLC DBA Hustler
        – Barely Legal 2
        – Barely Legal 16
        – Barely Legal 19
        – Barely Legal 84
        – Barely Legal 100
        – Barely Legal 127
        – Barely Legal 128
        – Barely Legal 131
        – Barely Legal 134
        – Barely Legal 138
        – Barely Legal 139
        – Barely Legal 140
        – Barely Legal Little Runaways
        – Barely Legal: All Stars 5
        – New Wave Hookers
        – The Opening of Misty Beethoven
        – This Ain’t Game of Thrones

        Manwin Content RK Limited DBA Reality Kings (now known as “MG Content RK Limited”)
        – 2 For 1 Pink
        – A Lavish Load
        – Belle Bottom
        – Bouncing Deluca (Big Naturals; Angel Deluca)
        – Cum Hard
        – Dirty Minds
        – Full Figure (Monster Curves; Katie Banks)
        – Getting Hardy
        – Girlfriends Revenge (GF Revenge 6)
        – Hello Alexis
        – Leather and Lace
        – Licking Lessons – Jasmine Wolff (Moms Bang Teens 2013-12-30)
        – Naughty Kennedy – Kennedy Leigh (Moms Bang Teens 2014-01-20)
        – Pussy Love (Money Talks – Esmi & Lily)
        – Riding Riley
        – Ripping Through
        – Sexy All Star
        – Sexy Stella
        – Sweet Veronica
        – Tits and Hips
        – Ass In Heels – Angell Summers (EuroSexParties 2013-05-30)
        – Busty Bikini Babes 1
        – Finger Licking Good
        – Lick It

        Manwin DP Corp. DBA Digital Playground
        – Bad Girls 5
        – Bad Girls 6
        – Bridesmaids
        – Code of Honor
        – Don’t Fuck My Sister
        – For Sale
        – Island Fever 2
        – Island Fever 3
        – Jack Attack 4
        – Jack’s POV 2
        – Jack’s POV 3
        – Jack’s POV 5
        – Jack’s POV 7
        – Jack’s POV 8
        – Jack’s POV 10
        – Jack’s POV 12
        – Jack’s POV 15
        – JACK’S POV 19
        – Jesse Jane Fuck Fantasy
        – Jesse Jane Kiss Kiss
        – Lost and Found
        – Nurses
        – Pink Slip
        – Pirates
        – Raven Alexis The Substitute
        – Riley Steele Deceptions
        – Riley Steele Satisfaction
        – The Girlfriend Exchange
        – Titlicious 2
        – Top Guns
        – unSEXpected
        – Web Whore
        – WHEN DADDY’S AWAY

        Marc Dorcel
        – Cathy 40 (Cheating Housewife)
        – WIFE NEXT DOOR

        Marc Dorcel DBA SBO Pictures, Inc.
        – Orgy Anthology

        SBO Pictures DBA Vouyer Media
        – Jack In Me POV 2

        SBO Pictures DBA Wicked Pictures
        – Daddy Did The Babysitter
        – I Was a Mail Order Bride
        – Octomom: Home Alone
        – Selfies
        – Spacenuts
        – Teen Ravers

        Metro Media Entertainment
        – Cute Little Asses

        Millennium TGA, DBA Grooby Productions
        – Buddy Wood’s Shemale Bedtime Stories

        New Sensations Inc.
        – Almost Heaven
        – Anal Sex Secrets
        – Ashlynn Brooke Is Sexy
        – Big Bang Theory A XXX Parody
        – Big Girls Are Sexy #3
        – Double D Vixens
        – Friends A Xxx Parody
        – I Can’t Believe I’m Doing This (Zeina Heart)
        – I Love Asians 11
        – I Love Asians 5
        – Redheads Are Sexy #5
        – Sexy Student Bodies`
        – WKRP in Cincinnati: A XXX Parody
        – Young Girls With Big Tits 10

        Patrick Collins Inc., DBA Elegant Angel
        – Alexis Texas Is Buttwoman
        – Big Wet Asses #3
        – Big Wet Asses #6
        – Big Wet Asses #7
        – Big Wet Asses 16
        – Cuties 4
        – It’s A Daddy Thing!
        – It’s A Secretary Thing!
        – It’s A Secretary Thing! 2
        – Massive Facials 5
        – Performers Of The Year 2014
        – Real Female Orgasms 10
        – The A Line
        – The Bombshells 5
        – The Greatest Squirters Ever! 4

        Pleasure Productions Inc.
        – Wild Honey 2 (Tera Patrick)

        RLD Distribution LLC
        – Girls Of Red Light District – Sasha Grey
        – I Bang Teens (Megan Salinas)
        – White Dicks Black Chicks

        Second Phase Distribution Inc.
        – Big Butt All Stars – Crystal Clear
        – Mama Turned Me Out 3
        – Mama Turned Me Out 4
        – Mama Turned Me Out 5
        – Pigtail Virgins

        Third Degree Films, Inc.
        – Big Boob Orgy 2
        – Curve Appeal
        – Illegal Ass 2
        – Laid In Lingerie 2
        – Laid in Lingerie 3
        – Spunk’d 7
        – Spunk’d 8
        – Top Ten 2

        Vivid Entertainment LLC
        – Farrah 2 Backdoor and More
        – Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom
        – Kim Kardashian Superstar
        – Raven Alexis Unleashed
        – Raylene’s Dirty Work
        – Tera, Tera, Tera (Tera Patrick)
        – Tila Tequila Backdoored and Squirting
        – Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to the G-Spot

        White Ghetto Films Inc.
        – Group Sex Junkies

        Zero Tolerance Entertainment
        – Dr. Ava’s Guide to Sensual BDSM For Couples
        – Is Your Mother Home?

        Now obviously you will notice a common theme along each of these copyright holders, and that is the “genre” of content they all produce. You will also notice that in this list there are “copyright trolls,” (meaning, companies who in the past have used or use the federal courts to sue individual downloaders for copyright infringement) and there are “not” copyright trolls (meaning, companies who have NOT sued defendants for copyright infringement). You can see which are copyright trolls by either searching the web for their name, or doing a search on PACER or JUSTIA to see whether they have sued in federal court.

        A few things to note.

        1) Many of the larger companies have multiple websites, and do business as multiple entities. For example, Froytal Services Ltd. “does business as” (“DBA”) Mofos and Brazzers (corresponding to their Mofos.com and Brazzers.com websites).

        2) Many copyright holders are OLDER COMPANIES and FAMILY OPERATED BUSINESSES. This means that it is common to have former porn companies hire CEG TEK to track and send letters for “vintage” films from the 1970’s and 1980’s. The copyrights for these films ARE STILL IN EFFECT, and the former owners of those companies are now elder individuals who are now enforcing their copyrights from FORTY YEARS AGO. On the flip side, many older couples have been caught downloading a film from their youth thinking that since the titles were so old, it was probably legal to do so.

        In sum, all I ask of everyone is to understand that the bittorrent networks are no longer safe, and when you download something, assume someone else is watching you. And, be aware that there are companies out there like RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT who are lurking in the bittorrent swarms waiting for you to click on a link so that they can send you a settlement demand letter.


        CONTACT FORM: If you have a question or comment about what I have written, and you want to keep it *for my eyes only*, please feel free to use the form below. The information you post will be e-mailed to me, and I will be happy to respond.

          NOTE: No attorney client relationship is established by sending this form, and while the attorney-client privilege (which keeps everything that you share confidential and private) attaches immediately when you contact me, I do not become your attorney until we sign a contract together.  That being said, please do not state anything “incriminating” about your case when using this form, or more practically, in any e-mail.

          Why I Believe MPAA/RIAA in a Scheme to Break Copyright Law

          Analyzing the relationship between MPAA/RIAA and the adult film industry lawsuits (via Guardaley).

          Yesterday, I spent most of the day writing articles for the blog.  My two priorities for the day were 1) to get articles out on RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT (focusing on how they differ from what I wrote about CEG-TEK), and 2) to write about the great merging of the porn and movie industry to break copyright law.

          THE RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT ARTICLES FOCUSED ON HOW THEY DIFFER FROM CEG-TEK.

          Getting articles out on RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT was my first priority, specifically, because so many people were going to the old CEG-TEK articles, and I did not want to give my readers a false sense of security based on what I wrote about those same topics as they applied to the CEG-TEK entity.

          RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT should be considered a hostile copyright troll (analogous to a John Steele / Prenda-level troll because their beliefs about law and ‘pirates’ mirror each other).  I have abstained from commenting on the personality of Carl Crowell (the owner of RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT and the likely puppet master behind all of the adult film and movie “John Doe” bittorrent lawsuits filed across the US).  However, I meant it when I said that one should expect tactics of using very illegal, but untraceable means to violate the security of your computer when you log into his site in order to gain leverage over you and scare you into paying a settlement.

          Why do I think Crowell would break the law just as John Steele did to achieve his goals?  Attorneys that powerful (if not already corrupt) become corrupted, and I have too often seen them develop a sense of invincibility to the law.  After crossing one grey line after another, they ultimately end up breaking the law thinking that they will never be caught.  This is what happened to John Steele, and this is what I am guessing will eventually happen to the Carl Crowell.

          HERE IS WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT CASES.  ALL ARTICLES POSTED WERE OFFSHOOTS OF TOPICS FROM THIS ARTICLE.

          You should expect that RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT will likely be treating cases differently than CEG-TEK did, so I did not want people to get the wrong impression that they were harmless, as CEG-TEK was (in comparison).

          WHY I NOW BELIEVE THAT THE MPAA/RIAA COLLUDED WITH THE PORN COMPANIES TO CREATE CASE LAW IN ORDER TO BREAK COPYRIGHT LAW.

          The more important topic I wrote about yesterday got shadowed by my other articles.  That topic was how the MPAA/RIAA appears to have colluded with the adult film / porn companies with the intent of breaking copyright law.

          HERE IS WHY I THINK THAT THE MPAA/RIAA IS BEHIND THE ADULT FILM LAWSUITS WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS.

          I started the Cashman Law Firm, PLLC in 2010, just as the MPAA/RIAA lawsuits became quiet. I always wondered where they went, and why they stopped suing defendants.

          Now based upon the explicit ‘coming together’ of the adult film companies, the movie companies (MPAA), and now Rightscorp (RIAA) under the leadership of Carl Crowell, his network of attorneys filing Guardaley-backed bittorrent lawsuits across the US, and now the appearance of his RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT company, the merging of what were thought to be separate entities demonstrates that perhaps they weren’t so separate as we thought they were.

          WHY I THINK THAT THE MOVIE INDUSTRY AND THE PORN INDUSTRY WERE IN COLLUSION

          With the appearance of the RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT entity, I couldn’t help but to think that 1) EITHER CARL CROWELL IS A GENIUS ATTORNEY WHO HAS MERGED THE TWO VERY SEPARATE FACTIONS — MOVIE-BASED COPYRIGHT TROLLS, and PORNOGRAPHY-BASED COPYRIGHT TROLLS, or 2) CARL CROWELL IS MERELY A FIGUREHEAD, A PATSY.

          Reading what I have learned about this man, I cannot believe that he is a genius who has united the separate entities of movie lawsuits and porn lawsuits.  This is just too big of a project for one man.  Rather, I think Carl Crowell is the figurehead replaced by some entity behind the scenes when the relationship between this Guardaley-backed ‘investor’ and Keith Lipscomb soured in April of 2016.

          REMEMBER — WHEN LIPSCOMB AND MALIBU MEDIA LLC PARTED WAYS, LIPSCOMB AND GUARDALEY ALSO PARTED WAYS.  MALIBU MEDIA LLC CONTINUED FILING LAWSUITS WITH THEIR GUARDALEY-BACKED ENTITY AS THE BOSS, CLAIMING, “WE HAVE A NEW INVESTOR.”  ONLY THEN WAS CARL CROWELL INSTALLED AS THE HEAD OF THE GUARDALEY-BACKED SET OF LAWSUITS.

          Thus, it occurred to me that Carl Crowell is not the one behind everything, but he is merely their “figurehead / fall guy” answering to some higher entity (just as Lipscomb was the “figurehead / fall guy” to some higher entity for all of the porn-based lawsuits filed since 2010, and just as Paul Duffy of Prenda Law Inc. (R.I.P.) was the “figurehead / fall guy” installed by John Steele).  [It would be interesting to learn whether John Steele TOO answered to some higher entity, because he too fits the profile I am about to describe.]  Each of these guys came out of nowhere into positions of extreme power, and with the exception of Lipscomb, each of these guys reminded me of drunk fraternity guys who showed up to work in a stretched and torn football jersey, shorts, and a hangover.

          HOW I ARRIVED AT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE MOVIE AND PORN INDUSTRY ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO BREAK COPYRIGHT LAW

          In the context of researching the ME2 cases (already noting that there was a connection between a number of movie cases [ME2/COOK/CELL/SEPTEMBER/I.T.], specifically, that the same attorneys were filing the same set of lawsuits across the US), I wrote a side article explaining “the evolution of piracy,” (an innocuous post).  In that post, it occurred to me that “it would be just too terrible” if there was collusion between the movie industry and the porn industry.

          A few days later, I noticed in my website’s analytics that people were rushing to view my CEG-TEK articles, and I could not figure out why (CEG-TEK was no longer sending out letter to John Doe Defendants).  From there, I learned about Carl Crowell (who I previously ignored as being a nobody) and his RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT entity, which demonstrated that there was a connection between the movie industry and the porn industry.

          It was then when I saw that Carl Crowell’s RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT entity represented both the mainstream movie companies (the ME2 / COOK PRODUCTIONS / I.T. PRODUCTIONS connection I was already looking for), and from my own website analytics and follow-up research, learning that RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT was also sending out notices for CEG-TEK’s old porn company clients that I made the connection that perhaps there was a relationship between the porn and movie industry.

          Then I remembered the Guardaley connection years back when representing clients in the Dallas Buyers Club, LLC cases, and it occurred to me that some entity connected with Guardaley is behind both the porn-based lawsuits AND the movie-based lawsuits, but why?  That is where I learned that Rightscorp (the MPAA/RIAA also joined with Carl Crowell), and the connection made sense.  Through some common entity or ‘investor’, both the movie companies and the adult film companies are having their lawsuits funded.  Then it occurred to me how convenient it would have been for that investor to be the MPAA/RIAA, especially considering the millions they are pouring into Rightscorp (a sinking ship), just as they spent [I believe] hundreds of millions on lawsuits for copyright infringement shortly before I started my Cashman Law Firm, PLLC in 2010.

          I always wondered why all of a sudden in 2010, the MPAA/RIAA stopped filing the copyright infringement lawsuits.  Now, I am starting to understand that if I am correct about the MPAA/RIAA being the entity behind the adult film lawsuits, they never did stop their activities.  Rather, they just devised a clever scheme to get the porn industry to file lawsuits and blaze the trail to create case law across the US (because most pornography-based defendants do not fight back, and judges laugh when they see the explicit porn titles sued upon, and through this uncomfortable laugh, judges undermine their legal sense and allow the ‘repressed, stigma-based industry’ to proceed with protecting their rights to sue “just like everyone else.”).  As a result of having the porn companies file the lawsuits across the US, IF what is unfolding ends up being true, then the MPAA/RIAA schemed to break copyright infringement law so that they can come back seven years later and start filing lawsuits, but now, with a “lower bar” and relaxed legal standards.


          CONTACT FORM: If you have a question or comment about what I have written, and you want to keep it *for my eyes only*, please feel free to use the form below. The information you post will be e-mailed to me, and I will be happy to respond.

            NOTE: No attorney client relationship is established by sending this form, and while the attorney-client privilege (which keeps everything that you share confidential and private) attaches immediately when you contact me, I do not become your attorney until we sign a contract together.  That being said, please do not state anything “incriminating” about your case when using this form, or more practically, in any e-mail.