TorrentFreak

It’s just a few weeks since the six-strikes copyright alert system was activated in the U.S. and already it’s being utilized in a civil action against an alleged BitTorrent pirate. To prepare for a trial against a Verizon subscriber, adult movie studio Malibu Media has subpoenaed the user’s ISP to hand over copies of DMCA and six-strikes notices issued to far. In addition, the copyright holder also wants to know how much bandwidth the subscriber uses each month, and what pay-per-view programs were watched .

During the coming weeks the controversial “six-strikes” anti-piracy system will kick off in the U.S. While none of the participating ISPs have officially announced how they will handle repeat infringers, TorrentFreak has obtained a copy of Verizon’s full policy. Among other things, offenders will have to watch a video about the consequences of online piracy, before their speeds are reduced to 256kbps. Also worth mentioning is that the copyright alert system will also apply to business customers.

It’s now apparent that Verizon is fed up with the avalanche of mass-BitTorrent lawsuits and is determined to put an end to copyright trolls’ extortion-like practices. The Internet provider is asking a Texas court to grant discovery so it can expose how these companies operate. According to Verizon, copyright trolling practices don’t belong in court and the ISP equates the companies involved with “schoolyard bullies who push and shove until firm opposition is met when they shrink away.”

A group of adult movie companies is suing Verizon for failing to hand over the personal details of alleged BitTorrent pirates. The provider systematically refuses to comply with court-ordered subpoenas and the copyright holders see these actions as more than just an attempt to protect its customers. According to the them, Verizon’s objections are in bad faith as the Internet provider is profiting from BitTorrent infringements at the expense of lower-tier ISPs.

At the end of this month the controversial “six-strikes” anti-piracy system will kick off in the U.S., and today two of the participating Internet providers have been discussing what measures they will take against repeated BitTorrent pirates. Verizon plans to notify alleged pirates via email and voice-mail, and will throttle the connection speeds of repeated infringers. Time Warner Cable will warn subscribers through popups and restrict users’ Internet browsing by directing them to a landing page.

Internet provider Verizon has successfully defended the privacy of several subscribers who were accused of sharing copyrighted material on BitTorrent. The ISP refused to comply with a court-ordered subpoena obtained by book publisher John Wiley and Sons in one of their mass-BitTorrent lawsuits. Initially, Wiley responded to this move by asking the court to compel Verizon to cooperate, but this request and the subpoenas have now been withdrawn.

In its lawsuits against hundreds of alleged BitTorrent users, book publisher John Wiley and Sons has met unexpected resistance from Internet provider Verizon. For a variety of reasons including privacy concerns, the ISP is refusing to comply with a subpoena which orders the company to hand over the personal details of subscribers who are accused of pirating “For Dummies” books.