UK Woman Fined £16k For File-Sharing

[satel]

A woman has been ordered to pay £16,000 over file-sharing offences in one of the first cases of its kind in the UK.


The woman, who has not been named, was caught after a swoop on Britons who illegally share games and films over the internet, London law firm Davenport Lyons said.

She is one of the first persons in the UK to be taken to court by computer game manufacturers protecting their copyright.

The Patents County Court in London ordered that the woman pay damages of £6,086.56 and combined costs of £10,000 to Topware Interactive.

The company owns computer game Dream Pinball 3D.

Davenport Lyons has launched civil proceedings against 100 people suspected of similar offences on behalf of the games manufacturer.

The case focuses on peer-to-peer networks, which give subscribers direct access to each other's computers.

This allows people to download files without paying fees to the copyright owner.

Earlier this year, the Central London County Court ruled against four people who were found to have infringed copyright by sharing games.

David Gore, a partner at Davenport Lyons, said: "Illegal file-sharing is a very serious issue resulting in millions of pounds of losses to copyright owners.

"As downloading speeds and internet penetration increase, this continues to be a worldwide problem across the media industry which increasingly relies on digital revenues.

The High Court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to release the details of several thousand suspected file sharers, the firm said.

The most recent case followed a Government-brokered deal between the UK's music and film industries and ISPs to tackle illegal file-sharing, it added.

Some six million people are thought to engage in illegal file-sharing each year.

SOURCE

 

[Hadrian]

Wow fancy being fined so much for a shit game.

 

[FAST6191]

Hmm, pretty sure it is not the first but £16k. I would have to think long and hard about an exit plan for that much (not enough to dismiss and probably not enough to warrant vanishing).

Interesting it got to court though, wonder if they had to give their evidence methods over (forensic science is often only shortly ahead of psychology for "interesting" methods/theories it seems (see earprints in the US a few years back) and computing forensics is even worse) and if they still use the loopholes (filing/starting a criminal case to gain evidence and then dropping it in favour of a civil case).

Then again if you would use a method that so happily gives out details (and peerguardian does not count whatsoever) then when the law kicks down your front door you have nothing to blame really.

 

[cyr0x]

Closed networks ftw. And of course buying games ftw.

 

[Dack]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/19/fi...ng_gamer_fined/

Quick summary for the easily bored:
Swiss company got a list of IP addresses, sent letters demanding 300 settlement fee
Lawyers now come out and say that court found in their favour for an unamed defendent of which there seems to be no court record. Oh and if you don't secure your wireless network you will be found guilty.

Update:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7568642.stm

So it was a patents court and the woman was Isabella Barwinska

 

[godsakes]

so what are the safe ways of filesharing? (or should i say filegrabbing) is usenet safe?

 

[Praetor192]

If you are downloading and not uploading, the worst that will happen is your internet will be cut off (first you will get a letter or email telling you to cease and desist your illegal activity, then if you continue they will notify your isp) this is because if they tried to prosecute every person downloading warez they would lose money from lawyer costs, so they only go after the uploaders. In the US and Canada, it is still uncommon for them to go after the uploaders, because the easiest defense is to simply bring up doubt as to who did it (o, i have a wireless network, it could have been ANYONE!!@!!!@@!!1!1) in other countries this defense doesn't work, but still if you are only downloading they won't come after you.

 

[Panzer Tacticer]

Interesting story.

Only interesting though.

Do I care much? No.

My nation is currently babbling a lot on the matter, and the consensus seems to be that it will adversely affect legit business more than it will help it. But politicians don't specialize in knowing what they are talking about, they only need to say what you want them to say. Lawyers, well they just like making money, and they couldn't care what the laws are so long as they get to get paid screwing with them.

There's no such thing as "invisible" downloading. But it's hard to get proof YOU were the one doing it, or WHAT you were downloading.
Peer to peer of course is not precisely bright. It's the back and forth part that makes it dangerous.
Torrents are not utterly safe for that reason. You can't be getting if you are not sending.

Newsgroups are all about just getting though. You have to pay to use it, but on the plus side, it's a great deal less visible.

 

[deathfisaro]

Millions of pounds of loss and Dream Pinball 3D don't go together IMO.

I bet the reason they sued that women was to make it an issue and let people hear about Dream Pinball 3D for the first time, because otherwise nobody'll ever know what the hell it is.

 

[fischju]

There is a huge running thread for Davenport and 3D Pinball on Slyck that started last year, many people have gotten letters, and this is a very bad precident.

 

[Q.Ghost]

Dream Pinball 3D, I guess if fishes started playing this illegally they would have a case comin there way too, well technically speaking fishes can't go to court but that doesn't stop them from playing Pinball. Go Fish!!

 

[fischju]

Dream Pinball 3D, I guess if fishes started playing this illegally they would have a case comin there way too, well technically speaking fishes can't go to court but that doesn't stop them from playing Pinball. Go Fish!!

I declare you Bonemonkey's reincarnation

 

[Q.Ghost]

If Bonemonkey was smart than gladly i'll be his reincarnation but if he was sub par than i'll take it too but he'll atleast needs to be able to watch the sisterhood of the traveling pants 2 without killing some over talkitive chick because if i wanted to be an reincarnation of somebody i'd like to do it but prefer to stay out jail or atleat the ones without Martha Stewart followers.

 

[fischju]

If Bonemonkey was smart than gladly i'll be his reincarnation but if he was sub par than i'll take it too but he'll atleast needs to be able to watch the sisterhood of the traveling pants 2 without killing some over talkitive chick because if i wanted to be an reincarnation of somebody i'd like to do it but prefer to stay out jail or atleat the ones without Martha Stewart followers.

He was a pretty big noob that people confused for random internet goodness, a lot like you

 

[Q.Ghost]

Thanks i guess i'll try to keep it to a small dose a day, i like games a lot so i found this site and it seemed pretty cool and so i joined up and i do like talking about random things but also prefer to give certain things like topics a bit of flavor and a nice internet smelling kind of aroma.

 

[imz]

If you are downloading and not uploading, the worst that will happen is your internet will be cut off (first you will get a letter or email telling you to cease and desist your illegal activity, then if you continue they will notify your isp) this is because if they tried to prosecute every person downloading warez they would lose money from lawyer costs, so they only go after the uploaders. In the US and Canada, it is still uncommon for them to go after the uploaders, because the easiest defense is to simply bring up doubt as to who did it (o, i have a wireless network, it could have been ANYONE!!@!!!@@!!1!1) in other countries this defense doesn't work, but still if you are only downloading they won't come after you.

Well if they contact the ISP, they can find your address via your IP address, but if you're using someone else's nearby network then I guess they couldn't locate you