File Share Beware - IP ID'd

Submitted by Amanda Alfieri, Articled Student

Topware Interactive obtained judgments from a London Court against four individuals for file-sharing . The Court granted interim damages in the amount of £750 per person and the final amount can be up to £2000 per person. The difficulty in successfully suing file sharers is discovering their identity. Internet Service Providers (ISP) give a number to each of their users when they are on-line. This number is referred to as an IP address and the ISP's have been reluctant to divulge the IP addresses of their customers in order for computer experts to be able to identify which IP addresses match file-sharers with illegally obtained copyright material on their computers. However, a UK High Court has ordered the identification of hundreds of users whose computers have been used for illegal game sharing. It will permit Davenport Lyons, the lawyers for Topware Interactive to send lawyer’s letters to all those users. The recipients of the letter must provide a satisfactory response or they shall risk being sued.

Read more at This Is Money.