Posted on 07/25/2006 1:01:09 PM PDT by steve-b
Shawn Hogan is taking the download battle to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Wired says Hogan, CEO of Digital Point Solutions, is challenging a lawsuit filed by the MPAA. The suit says Hogan illegally downloaded the film "Meet the Fockers" through the BitTorrent peer-to-peer system. Hogan denies the claim and is vowing to take the case to court.
So why is this a big deal? In most cases the downloading lawsuits filed by the MPAA and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) never reach the courtroom. According to Wired, many of these lawsuits go unchallenged because defendants feel the legal defense costs are too high. Defendents usually settle before the lawsuits can be formally addressed in court.
Hogan, who is well funded thanks to his success with Digital Point, is adamant about seeing the case through. "I would spend well into the millions on this," Hogan tells Wired. If Hogan wins, the victory would take its rightful place next to Ralphie's "Christmas Story" beat-down of Scut Farkus.
A trial is expected next summer. In the meantime, Hogan is chronicling the lawsuit on his blog.
(Excerpt) Read more at filmfodder.com ...
It should read "Man Sued Over Movie Download Fights Back"
Groups like the MPAA and RIAA make me ill - they exist solely to protect obsolete business models at the expense of technology companies and consumers. The amount of cripple-ware being introduced into personal electronics and software at the behest of these parasites is ridiculous.
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