Bonzai: Thoughts and Expressions

Accidentally picking on someone their own size?

The MPAA has filed another lawsuit against a downloader, but things might be a little more interesting this time around. Instead of picking on people they know can’t possibly mount a defense against their deep pockets, the MPAA has brought suit against Shawn Hogan – the former CEO of Digital Point Solutions and a multimillionaire.

Apparently Hogan was “baffled” when a lawyer representing Universal Pictures called him and accused him of downloading “Meet the Fockers” over BitTorrent. He told the lawyer that he owned a copy of the movie on DVD and had no reason to download it. When the lawyer offered a “settlement” of $2500 to make this all go away, Hogan declined.

Further remarks from Hogan indicate that he fully expects to pay at least $100,000 in legal fees but is willing to spend “into the millions” for this fight.

This looks like it is going to be a fun one to watch. Win or lose, the strategy is going to cost the MPAA more than they intended and they may well be engulfed in a tidal wave of negative sentiment from the ‘customers’ they are suing. Time will tell.

posted by Bonzai @ 11:00 AM