UPDATE: http://www.beingscammed.com This is a call to arms to ALL people who want to safeguard the future of Filesharing. A Company called ACS:LAW has sent out threatening letters accusing people of sharing games and films and trying to get them to hand over money rather than going to Court. This is nothing short of BLACKMAIL.
Please review these Forums, there is a lot of useful information availiable here
http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=44092&sid=267662251566e3882982f1b1fcb8eef6&start=3375
http://www.p2pfreak.com/forum/torrent-sites/1581-infringement-copyright-notice-two-worlds-6.html
I read with interest a comment you made in an interview with The Times regarding filesharing in the UK, you are quoted as saying “Mr Lammy, said that there was a big difference between organised counterfeiting gangs and younger people not quite buying into the system. He said: We can’t have a system where we’re talking about arresting teenagers in their bedrooms. People can rent a room in an hotel and leave with a bar of soap - there’s a big difference between leaving with a bar of soap and leaving with the television.
I would like to bring your attention to a very disturbing new trend, I received a letter from a Solicitor called ACS:LAW accusing me of sharing a file, a game in fact called the “Call of Juarez”, they said that they had “Forensic” proof that I had shared this file and that I had to pay them £565 or face a court appearance whereby I could be sued for “Significantly” more.
Until I received this letter I had not even heard of this game let alone shared it. In the letter ACS:LAW state that they had been passed the information by a company called “Logistep” and they had recorded my IP Address and had gone to the High Court to obtain a Court order forcing my ISP to release my private information so they could contact me. My ISP Virgin Media did this without informing me they had.
I was very distressed as I cant afford to pay the fine nor can I afford to pay a solicitor to defend me. I contacted the Law Society who confirmed that ACS:LAW are indeed a legitimate company, I did this as I believed at first it was a scam. I have contacted the Information Officer in charge of the Data Protection Register who informed me that ACS:LAW are NOT registered with them.
There is a LOT of things not right about this case Mr Lammy, an IP Address is NOT proof of a crime. Information regarding IP addresses can surely only be obtained in Criminal cases whereas I am being pursued through the Civil Court. This letter sent to me and thousands of others borders on blackmail.
ACS:LAW are using EXACTLY the same methods and even letter formats that a company called Davenport Lyons used a few years ago and which were described at the time by Which? Magazine and other consumer groups as Bullying. Davenport Lyons are at this time still under investigation by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) for their methods.
It seems that to date although thousands of these letters have been sent out to people the evidence claimed by ACS:LAW and before them Davenport Lyons has actually been tested in a Court of Law, as they rely on people paying to avoid going to Court.
I would urge you to investigate this company and what it is doing.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely
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