MPAA files new round of swap suits

Hollywood studios filed a new round of lawsuits Thursday against individuals accused of trading copyrighted movies online.

This is the Motion Picture Association of America's fifth round of suits against individual file-swappers, but the group has not provided details about the number or location of people targeted.

[Willie Winkie]

Have ANY of these suites gone to court?

Have we seen ANY of these cases go to trial? I'm very curious to know what happens to those defendants who refuse to settle. I'd like to read the transcripts of the cases. When suing college students with no financial resourses, how does the RIAA get blood from a stone?

[sanenazok]

sooner or later

These lawsuits are still very new, so in order for someone to have gone to trial alredy, they would have been one of the first ones sued in late 2003, but I'm pretty sure all of these early people settled. And with a good reason too - they got a big break compared with maximum civil judgments in the several $100K's.

Shoudl the RIAA win, they will sell the judgment to a collection agency. That will (a) ruin def's credit rating, (b) get the money from you one way or another, especially since it's harder to declare bankrupcy. Have you ever had a health insurance company dispute? It happens more and more nowadays, where the insurance company refuses to pay out, then the hospital turns you over to collection, and the fun really begins. Now multiply it a hundred times over.

[Willie Winkie]

Have ANY of these suites gone to court?

Have we seen ANY of these cases go to trial? I'm very curious to know what happens to those defendants who refuse to settle. I'd like to read the transcripts of the cases. When suing college students with no financial resourses, how does the RIAA get blood from a stone?

[sanenazok]

sooner or later

These lawsuits are still very new, so in order for someone to have gone to trial alredy, they would have been one of the first ones sued in late 2003, but I'm pretty sure all of these early people settled. And with a good reason too - they got a big break compared with maximum civil judgments in the several $100K's.

Shoudl the RIAA win, they will sell the judgment to a collection agency. That will (a) ruin def's credit rating, (b) get the money from you one way or another, especially since it's harder to declare bankrupcy. Have you ever had a health insurance company dispute? It happens more and more nowadays, where the insurance company refuses to pay out, then the hospital turns you over to collection, and the fun really begins. Now multiply it a hundred times over.