UK File-Sharing Lawyers ACS:Law Shut Up Shop Ahead of Court 76
nk497 writes "Controversial legal firm ACS Law and its sole file-sharing client Media CAT have shut down their businesses, days before a ruling is due in a case they brought to the UK Patent Court. ACS Law is infamous for sending out letters to alleged illegal file sharers, demanding payment and threatening law suits. Now that ACS has a case before a judge, it's trying to drop the cases, and has now completely closed its doors. The defendants' lawyers are trying to keep the case going, in order to be able to claim back costs." That sounds right in line with other recent ACS happenings, from getting upbraided by a judge to being blacklisted by an ISP, and even putting the brakes on the file-sharing cases themselves.
Are they trying to hide evidence? (Score:3, Interesting)
Isn't that highly illegal?
Wouldn't any of us normans end up being screwed so hard for doing stuff like this?
I hope they get what is coming to them. One hell of a scummy law firm.
Next up, we get the RIAA and friends.
Re:The slippery bastards (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm inclined to agree, the judge in question is not exactly inexperienced and is a specialist in the area. They are in fact "Specialist Circuit Judge, Judge of the Patents County Court and Chairman of the Copyright Tribunal Appointments", they're also a QC.
I get the feeling, from what I've read, that he is distinctly unimpressed and has little interest in allowing them get out judicial oversight; he's actually quoted as saying, "I want to tell you that I am not happy. I am getting the impression with every twist and turn since I started looking at these cases that there is a desire to avoid any judicial scrutiny,"
Hey America (Score:2, Interesting)
Hey America,
This is what it means to have an impartial judiciary body.
Try to buy your Congress and Courts back from the conglomerates, it'd do you a lot of good.
You might want to start with your supreme court:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2011/jan/27/usdomesticpolicy-clarence-thomas-what [guardian.co.uk]?
Re:The slippery bastards (Score:4, Interesting)
Unfortunately in the US you can't get much lower than your legal system. In the UK there's still the idea that the law protects citizens, not enables business to harm citizens.
Even here in Australia the courts are very careful not to ruin the credibility of the courts as this would deteriorate people's perception of law. I have a feeling ACS:Law bit off more than they could chew and realise they'd lose the cases. I just feel sad for the people who freaked out and paid up.