By Peter Griffiths
London-based law firm Davenport Lyons said it would apply
to the High Court to force Internet service providers to
release the names and addresses of 7,000 suspected
file-sharers.
They could be subject to civil action in the courts under
Britain's copyright laws.
David Gore, a partner at Davenport Lyons, said it had
already begun proceedings against several people in Britain who
it says have uploaded protected material to the Internet.
The firm won a case at the Patents County Court in London
against a woman who shared a pinball game online. She was
ordered to pay damages of 6,000 pounds and 10,000 pounds in
legal costs to the game's maker, Topware Interactive.
"Illegal file-sharing is a very serious issue resulting in
millions of pounds of losses to copyright owners," Gore said in
a statement.
Record companies, film studios and games makers have
stepped up attempts to curb illegal file-sharing after losing
millions of pounds in revenue to online piracy.
A government-backed deal was struck last month between
Britain's six biggest Internet service providers and the
entertainment industry under which file-sharers would be sent
warning letters.
Taking direct action against file-sharers will become an
"important and effective" weapon to tackle online piracy, Gore
added.
The number of people prosecuted by Davenport Lyons for
sharing games could reach 25,000, according to a report in the
Times on Wednesday. They would be offered the chance to pay 300
pounds each to settle out of court, the report added.
The first 500 who ignored the letters would face immediate
legal action brought on behalf of five games developers,
including Atari, Techland and Codemasters, it said.
No one at Davenport Lyons could immediately be reached to
comment on the Times report.
The suspected file-sharers were identified by a Swiss
forensic computer company Logistep. It searched for the users'
IP address, a unique number allocated to every computer that
connects to the Internet.
The BPI, a music industry body, says more than 6 million
people in Britain regularly download music illegally, cutting
profits for record companies and making it harder for them to
invest in new music.
Supporters of file-sharing dispute that and say it could
boost sales by making it easier for people to hear new music.
"For the copyright holder, it's like free advertising,"
said Gerry, a contributor to an online debate on file-sharing
at www.reuters.co.uk. "It really is a new world out there and
it's time the new reality was accepted for what it is."
* Do you think file-sharing is morally wrong? Join the
debate:
http://blogs.reuters/uknews/2008/08/19/is-file-sharing-moral
ly-wrong/
(Editing by Steve Addison)
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