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Canadian ISP Fights Back Against Copyright Trolls 66

An anonymous reader writes "Distributel, an independent Canadian ISP, has fought back in a file sharing lawsuit by opposing a motion to disclose the names of subscribers alleged to have engaged in file sharing. The company did not oppose a similar request in November 2012, but says in court documents filed on Friday that several factors led to a change in position after it received another request for more names. Those concerns include evidence of copyright trolling, privacy issues, and weak evidence of actual infringement by its subscribers. The decision to fight back points to mounting ISP frustration in Canada with file sharing lawsuits that come after the Canadian government sent clear signals that such actions were unwelcome."
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Canadian ISP Fights Back Against Copyright Trolls

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  • Re:Trolls... (Score:4, Informative)

    by fustakrakich ( 1673220 ) on Saturday February 09, 2013 @07:10PM (#42846467) Journal

    Yes, they are trolls.

  • Re:Umm... (Score:4, Informative)

    by green1 ( 322787 ) on Saturday February 09, 2013 @08:39PM (#42847001)

    I found the summary easy enough to understand, though that's perhaps due to my knowledge of the current stare of copyright in Canada.
    Basically when the last copyright bill was shovelled through parliament the government promised that it wouldn't lead to individuals being charged for private infringement. To try to guarantee that they put in place a cap of a maximum of $5,000 for ALL past infringements combined making the act of sending a lawyer after someone potentially more expensive then you could possibly recoup in court. (Also note that is a maximum, and the minimum is substantially less. The court is unlikely to award everyone the maximum penalty as that wouldn't differentiate between someone copying a few movies, and copying every movie ever made)

  • Re:Trolls... (Score:5, Informative)

    by starfishsystems ( 834319 ) on Saturday February 09, 2013 @09:33PM (#42847297) Homepage
    I understand the principle. And I gather that it's effective in the US. Doesn't mean the rest of the world functions in the same way.

    I can tell you from having lived and worked in several countries and in several languages that the American mindset is not to be found outside the US. In the same way as most developed nations take universal health care as a given, so there's a general assumption that society's institutions exist to serve society's ends. They don't particularly operate in the service of free enterprise, and most people would be astonished if you were to suggest that they should. That, it seems, is a particularly American position. I'm not judging it as good or bad - it's brought about good outcomes as well as bad ones - and of course I'm not saying that every American takes this position, but it is certainly particular to the US.
  • Re:Trolls... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 09, 2013 @11:21PM (#42847729)

    Perhaps in the US it is big business. In Canada, the maximum fine (and settlement) is $5000 *total* for any and all works pirated up to the point of punishment, so long as the defendant is an individual and not a corporation. The government has recommended the minimum fine of $100 be used in all but the most egregious repeat cases.

    Voltage has already found the cost of acquiring the information on each IP address outstrips the likely amount they will recoup. They're pissed about that already.

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