Actions By Copyright Holders To Curtail BitTorrent Usage
Copyright owners have undertaken a variety of tactics and strategies to try to curtail BT transmittal of their intellectual property. In 2005 HBO began "poisoning" torrents of its show Rome, by providing bad chunks of data to clients. Then in 2007, HBO sent numerous cease and desist letters to the Internet Service Providers of BitTorrent users. Many users have reported receiving letters from their ISP's that threatened to cut off their internet service if the alleged infringement continues. HBO, unlike the RIAA, has not been reported to have filed suit against anyone for sharing files as of April 2007.
Beginning in early 2010, the US Copyright Group, acting on behalf of several independent movie makers, has obtained the IP addresses of BitTorrent users allegedly downloading specific movies. The group then sued these users, in order to obtain subpoenas forcing ISPs to reveal the users' true identities. The group then sent out settlement offers in the $1,000-$3,000 range. About 16,200 lawsuits were filed between March and September 2010.
In 2011, United States courts began determining the legality of suits brought against hundreds or thousands of BitTorrent users. Nearly simultaneously, a suit against 5,000 IP addresses was dismissed. A smaller suit, Pacific Century International, Ltd. v. Does against 100 ISPs, has also been dismissed.
In October 2011, John Wiley and Sons brought suit against 27 New York "John Does" for pirating books from the For Dummies series. According to TorrentFreak, Wiley is thus "the first book publisher to take this kind of action".
Read more about this topic: Legal Issues With Bit Torrent
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