An IP Address Does Not Point To a Person, Judge Rules

AffidavitDonda writes with this excerpt from Torrentfreak: "A possible landmark ruling in one of the mass-BitTorrent lawsuits in the US may spell the end of the 'pay-up-or-else-schemes' that have targeted over 100,000 Internet users in the last year. District Court Judge Harold Baker has denied a copyright holder the right to subpoena the ISPs of alleged copyright infringers, because an IP-address does not equal a person. Among other things, Judge Baker cited a recent child porn case where the US authorities raided the wrong people, because the real offenders were piggybacking on their Wi-Fi connections. Using this example, the judge claims that several of the defendants in VPR's case may have nothing to do with the alleged offense either. ... Baker concludes by saying that his Court is not supporting a 'fishing expedition' for subscribers' details if there is no evidence that it has jurisdiction over the defendants."

Re:What parallel universe have I fallen into...

[msauve]

Well, it was filed on April 29, so the judge may have made up his mind on April 27, Opposite Day [wikipedia.org].

Re:What parallel universe have I fallen into...

[xMrFishx]

Yeah I mean seriously, who'd have known DNF might actually come out...

Re:Wow.

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

In fact, forget about the jets, condos, and meals!

Re:Wow.

[dgatwood]

And the number of the beast shall be IPv666?