Lawyer Who Threatened File-Sharers is Banned For 6 months
Written by enigmax on April 05, 2008A lawyer who sent out hundreds of thousands of threatening letters demanding that alleged file-sharers pay 400 euros, has been banned from operating for 6 months. Elizabeth Martin, who had been working with Swiss anti-piracy outfit, Logistep, was condemned by the Paris Bar Council.
For anti-piracy company, Logistep, life is becoming more and more difficult by the day. They have been deemed to be operating illegally in Italy and have been slammed over privacy issues in the home country, Switzerland. Now, according to a report - and to add further insult to this growing pile of misery - a lawyer they’ve been working with in France has just found herself in an awful lot of trouble.
Lawyer Elizabeth Martin had been demanding 400 Euros from hundreds of thousands of file-sharers who Logistep say had been infringing the rights of software company Techland, on their game ‘Call of Juarez’.
In her letters she warned alleged file-sharers that should it be necessary to take anyone to court, the costs would be substantial. File-sharers were also led to believe that should they be found guilty, they would not only be responsible for their own costs, but those of the other side - with an indication that the decision against them would mount to “hundreds of thousands of euros”.
Of course, none of these letters are complete without some threats and intimidation. Elizabeth Martin - just like the UK’s Davenport Lyons - finishes up with with a threat totally disproportionate to any petty copyright offense. “If you are not able to pay the damages ordered by the court, our client will seek to gain the amount by the sale of your goods”.
This wording is very similar to other letters received all across Europe, including those received from UK lawyers Davenport Lyons, who are also working with Logistep in exactly the same manner. Their version is “In the event that you were not able to pay whatever sums the court may direct, our client would have no option but to take steps to enforce the debt against your property.”
Unfortunately for Elizabeth Martin, it’s not just the general public who are disgusted by her actions. She has been the subject of a Conseil de l’Ordre du Barreau de Paris disciplinary investigation - and subsequent condemnation - by none other than her own peers. How embarrassing.
The disciplinary board decided that “By choosing to reproduce aggressive foreign methods, intended to force payments, the interested party also violated [the code] which specifies that the lawyer cannot unfairly represent a situation or seriousness of threat.”
In addition, the lawyer also violated the code by cashing payments into a private account, not the usual dedicated litigation account, known as a ‘Carpa’. Martin also refused to reveal how many payments had been received from file-sharers.
For these serious breaches, Elizabeth Martin was ordered by the disciplinary board to suspend her activities as a lawyer for 6 months. Furthermore, she was banned from belonging to the National Council of the Bars (CNB) and other such professional associations for a period of 10 years.
Thanks to Ganza
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108 Responses (Add yours or TrackBack)
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lol… what a muppet…
Gallus
Wow. What a world that must be. I just can’t ever, ever imagine such a wonderful thing happening in the US. Maybe Lessig will turn things around…
Why dont they take some criminal case ?instead of sending letters to file sharer’s…
Do something useful you morons…
Good move…..next time give them death sentence…
Seize the stupid scamming bitche’s assets and throw her in jail for at least 10 years. That should give her pause for reflection. Let her be barred from the barr for life. Make her scrub school toilets for a living
w00t… she fails…
Anyone knows where Logistep has their main office in Switzerland? Might wanna go there and throw a rock and crack a window or something, lol.
EPIC FAIL!
and EPIC WIN for filesharers! Sharing is caring!
Now lets stop the rest of these lawyers and companies..
Yay!
What a wonderful day!
Karma’s a bitch.
Serves her well :-)
“Martin also refused to reveal how many payments had been received from file-sharers.”
SLUT!
I hope she rots in a hole somewhere along with all the other scumbag lawyers.
Cant think of a better way to describe her in one word other than slut… or maybe scum.
http://www.ezee.se/
Oops, almost to mention… 6 months is far too less for what she has done, maybe 6 months hard time not just being (sic) barred.
Or maybe 6 months of doing sexual favors to the people that she illegally got payments from… :)
I wish when she is walking through an alley , someone kidnaps her and rapes her in both holes and makes a video out of it and put it on p2p networks.
Lol @ 14yr old!!
I love it in both holes :)
I wonder how much money she stole from her extortion. Bloody disgrace. Hope the bitch gets it coming to her.
F&$%ing hope she gets raped by a bunch of filthy homeless bums.
Maffia tactics indeed…
They should be stamped as a criminal organisation soon, many criminal organisations have done way less to get that stamp..
While at it include MPAA,RIAA,IFPI,BPI etc etc..
Hahahaa, aahahhaha… ahahahahaha.. omg cant stop laughing..
Why whats that smell? Pwnt Toast!
Logi…step?
She is still a human being, even though without any kind of moral ground.
No, I do not wish she gets raped or gets a death sentence. I do however hope that she’ll think it through.
We all do wrong things, but we’re always able to heal and aling ourselves with the correct path.
Hahahahaha :-)
Can someone please find out her personal & contact details and post on the net. I wondered if she’s hot or just an old hag… Anyway. I hope she goes to hell!
I wonder if this is her site. Looks convincingly enough lol.
http://members.aol.com/tootsinfla/Graphics/tootsinfla.html
Maybe they should be getting access to her bank records to see just how bad things might actually be. It could be interesting to have her justify all the monies that passed through.
Gotta feel sorry for all the people that got pwned by the threats.
[i]“You dig a 6-foot hole you’ll find three bodies, but you dig 12 and maybe you’ll find 40.”[/i]
Unbelievable. This is what we live with and accept in the west though. Here you have lawyers who can make easy money simply sending out letters and receiving payments from the threatened. Who needs to turn to a life of crime if you can make $$$ sending out threatening letters?
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