Friday, May 31, 2013

Prenda Law Firm Rebrands Itself After Raising the Ire of Judge Otis Wright

Recall my earlier post about Prenda Law Firm which was the pornography copyright troll that made its money by preying on those who illegally downloaded porn from the internet.  As you may remember, Prenda Law Firm would send cease and desist letters hoping to cash in on a quick settlement because the "infringing" party would be too embarrassed to fight.  And, if the "infringer" did lawyer up and fight, then Prenda would drop its lawsuit and move on to the next sucker, er mark. 

You may also recall that Judge Otis Wright caught on to Prenda's blackmail gig and came down hard on the attorneys and the law firm.   In a particularly creative sanctions order, Judge Wright used quotes from and references to Star Trek to sanction Prenda Law Firm and its attorneys in the amount of $ 81,319.72.  Judge Wright Order also informs the law firm and its attorneys that he will be referring their misdeeds to law enforcement, the IRS, and to every court in which Prenda has a case pending. 

You would think that would be the end of the story.  You would be wrong.  Prenda Law Firm principal, Paul Duffy, sent cease and desist letters to "infringers" under the name "Anti-Piracy Law Group."  Apparently, Mr. Duffy (and his cohorts?) wish to extort a few more settlements before law enforcement, the IRS, other courts, and/or any other agencies act on Judge Wright's information.

Unfortunately, the concept behind protecting intellectual property is a valid and noble one, intellectual property laws lend themselves to abuse because the lawsuits are so costly and the intellectual property so valuable.  


1 comment:

  1. Apparently, Mr. Duffy (and his cohorts?) wish to extort a few more settlements before law enforcement, the IRS, other courts, and/or any other agencies act on Judge Wright's information.

    Exactly.


    This "rebranding" happened last fall while Prenda's arrogance was not challenged enough.

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