back to article Copyright troll Prenda Law accused of seeding own torrents

Prenda Law – whose odious scam was to find porn downloaders, and humiliate them into a payoff with the threat of exposure – may have been dismembered by the US legal system, but there's still some fun to be had dancing on its grave. Prenda's attorney principals John Steele, Paul Hansmeier, Paul Duffy, and Brett Gibbs have …

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  1. Grikath
    Facepalm

    In short.....

    They simply went the one step further than the big conglomerates. And got burned.

    ( US American) Legal issues aside, tonight it took me about 5 minutes on a lappie using Google to prove rule #34 to a rather rapt ( not legal everywhere ) audience in the pub. Yes, I believe in true education by example. My biggest question is: why the hell did the people burned by this bothered to torrent that stuff anyways. There's your Five Minutes of Fap everywhere, for "free".

  2. gnufrontier

    Cut out the middleman.

    Pedestrian attorney runs in front of slow moving car. Sues driver.

    1. Ralph B

      Re: Cut out the middleman.

      I think, in this case, the attorney also provided the driver with the car.

      1. Ole Juul

        Re: Cut out the middleman.

        The true genius here is that he manage to run himself over.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Cut out the middleman.

          ...then back up and run himself over a few more times...

          1. oolor

            Re: Cut out the middleman.

            >...then back up and run himself over a few more times...

            ...while leaving a massive paper trail. First rate legal work.

        2. Naughtyhorse

          Re: Cut out the middleman.

          The true genius here is that he manage to run himself over...

          not so sure, if a no-mark fuckwit like brian... er wossname (frantic googling & wikki-ing later) ahem Harvey can do it, you have to ask yourself... when did said shyster last eat a jacket potato?

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_17

  3. tony2heads
    Paris Hilton

    Laywers making porn

    The image is tool horrible - take it away

    Icon - surely obvious

    1. Tom 13
      Windows

      Re: Laywers making porn

      Wrong icon. Granted El Reg doesn't actually have the right one. I'd try this one instead. Or maybe the troll even though you weren't trolling.

      1. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
        Gimp

        Re: Laywers making porn

        I would have thought this was the icon to use then.

  4. SuperNintendoChalmers
    Happy

    The Prenda defence should be interesting.

    I can see Steele now, "But judge just because its the same IP doesn't mean it was me, you can't identify a user from an IP... No wait you can... Oh shit you can't. "

    1. Fatman
      WTF?

      Re: The Prenda defence should be interesting.

      That would be a cross examination I would actually pay to watch. Let me break it down.

      The ass clown on the stand,

      trying at the same time, to reconcile his firm's strategy of

      ----> nailing pirates by associating the pirate with an IP address;

      against accusations that

      -----> it wasn't ME who seeded those torrents even though my IP address was associated with those torrents.

      How he will manage to wrangle himself out of that one will be interesting.

      1. C 18

        Re: The Prenda defence should be interesting.

        >How he will manage to wrangle himself out of that one will be interesting.

        There's always 'The Chewbacca Defense'...

        Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed jury...

  5. Great Bu

    Why did they miss out on the best bit ?

    Why did they do all the boring computery and lawyery stuff but not take part in the best bit, the porny bit ?

    1. Omgwtfbbqtime
      Trollface

      Re: Why did they miss out on the best bit ?

      Because even the most drug addled crack whores have some standards and would not take erm... "part" with lawyers.

  6. Christoph

    Carrying on the best traditions of American lawyers

    In the finest traditions of Canter and Siegel. Is there anything low enough that some American lawyer somewhere won't sink to it?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Carrying on the best traditions of American lawyers

      No, probably not.

    2. Tom 13
      Devil

      Re: Carrying on the best traditions of American lawyers

      Yes, but only because moving a nanometer below that level instantaneously crushes the bathysphere.

  7. Ryan 7

    Vertical integration, Lemon!

    The American corporate dream.

  8. Cliff

    Blimey

    What a cynical model. It's like the cheque rebate from 'vicious anal toys ltd' nobody would ever cash.

    1. M Gale

      Re: Blimey

      Kidding, right?

      I'd walk there in person and ignore the automated deposit machinery just to see the face on the cashier when they examine the cheque. Why yes, yes that is my cheque. Would you like to know how I got the refund? Oh, you don't? Pity, it's such an ecstatically fun story to tell.

  9. mike acker

    steele better check and see where mcaffee is hiding out these days

  10. Tom 13

    Re: Syfert is attempting to make the claim that

    Oh, I wouldn't say that. That's small fish compared to what I think he's claiming.

    He's saying Prenda engaged in entrapment, which is itself a criminal offense. And one that even if not true, is still likely to cost an attorney his law license because he failed to take the precautions necessary to prevent the appearance of impropriety in his actions as a lawyer.

    So this is more like reaching down your opponents throat, pulling out a few yards of his intestines, and using it to string him up.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Syfert is attempting to make the claim that

      Your last paragraph surely infringes on Itchy & Scratchy intellectual property.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: likely to cost an attorney his law license

      I don't think any of these guys had much of a career at the bar ahead of them, even without this latest development.

      1. Nigel 11

        Re: likely to cost an attorney his law license

        By the time this is over I expect they'll be looking for a career at the bar in front of them. But they'll have trouble buying a drink there, let alone landing a job.

        1. Alan Brown Silver badge

          Re: likely to cost an attorney his law license

          No, they'll be wishing they had a bar in front of them, instead of bars in front of them.

          This goes beyond simple financial fraud and moves into demanding with menaces, blackmail, etc etc,

          These guys won't do time at Club Fed.

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