Ernesto writes:
Graham Syfert, the lawyer who offered self-help to alleged BitTorrent downloaders of films such as Far Cry and The Hurt Locker, has been sued by the makers of the latter movie. On behalf of Voltage Pictures, the US Copyright Group (USCG) is seeking sanctions against Syfert and demand $5000 for the ‘work’ the self-help forms have caused them. in reponse, Syfert has requested sanctions against the plaintiffs because their filing is “completely insane.”
Read more of this story on Torrent Freak, where you’ll also find copies of the court filings.
I didn’t think the US Copyright Group could look worse than they already did, but they may have managed to shoot themselves in the foot with this one in terms of the even worse PR they are now getting.
That said, if you read the actual court filings and exhibits embedded in the post, Syfert doesn’t come off particularly well, either. The email exchanges seem clear that he doesn’t care about the defendants because they are not his clients and he’s just trying to make money. It looks like he was even trying to get the plaintiffs’ attorneys to hire him, and some of his response seems to be of the “hire me or leave me the fuck alone” genre. He may be right in his response to the request for sanctions, and he may (or may not) have helped defendants who cannot afford legal representation, but before casting him as any kind of hero, read the filings.
Hat-tip, Cathy Gellis