And So It Begins...

Davenport Lyons, a law firm, has been sending out legal papers to thousands, accusing them of illegally downloading pornographic movies, games, and more. While the actual cost of the content rarely amounts to more than £20 (about $40US), some of the "settlements" have exceeded £16,000! Further, few of the people who have received these letters even have the capacity or knowledge to download anything, much less hardcore gay pornography - many are elderly.

While the law firm stands by its claims, it has come to light that many of their successful settlements have never been challenged, largely because those targeted could not afford legal representation. Some estimates suggest up to 25,000 of these letters have been sent out and if they were all paid, the net would be over £12.5 million! That is more than almost any porn movie has ever made.

DO NOT SETTLE WITH THIS COMPANY!

This is a fraud which Davenport Lyons can never prove and a capable expert may be able to disprove! Davenport Lyons is obviously a shady company which has used intimidation and shock tactics to elicit money from innocent people. By trumping this whole copyright debate to ISPs, they are getting some to back-down immediately and provide them with information they likely have no right to access. Likewise, when people receive 20-page legal documents, claiming they downloaded hardcore gay pornography with explicit titles, they are quick to "settle." This basically amounts to extortion. Gaming giant, Atari, recently dropped the firm over this behavior.

If you have received any such notification, first contact Michael Coyle at Lawdit.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008