Pennsylvania Sees New Wave of File-sharing Lawsuits, Reports Attorney Leonard J. French

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The Law Firm of Leonard J. French

Aug 31, 2013, 19:00 ET


Bethlehem, PA (PRWEB) August 31, 2013 -- Perhaps emboldened by a recent victory against internet piracy, Plaintiff Malibu Media has filed 26 new cases in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania this August.

The suits continue the Plaintiff's new tactic of targeting individual downloaders who have used file-sharing software using the bittorrent protocol. "In the past, we've seen Plaintiffs, including Malibu, suing dozens of defendants in each complaint. These cases target just one individual each.", says Attorney French.

The claims come after Malibu Media's recent win in what was known as the 'Bellwether' trial. The Hon. Judge Michael Baylson required the copyright Plaintiff to put on its case – prompted by myriad previous cases which had never reached trial. The decision serves as a 'leader' for what the Court expected would be many future suits, notes French.

"The average internet subscriber may not know the level of responsibility and culpability that now comes with an internet connection. It is more important than ever to secure your network and your computers from unauthorized access. And, of course, don't download copyrighted material without permission.", suggests Attorney French.

Defendants who receive communication from copyright plaintiffs are directed to find an attorney. Notes French, "These allegations are serious and should not be ignored. It can be very difficult to undo a default judgment because of a failure to respond."

The 26 cases are captioned under the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with the following docket numbers: 2-13-cv-04557-JS, 2-13-cv-04558-SD, 2-13-cv-04560-JD, 2-13-cv-04561-TJS, 2-13-cv-04562-WY, 2-13-cv-04563, 2-13-cv-04564-LFR, 2-13-cv-04565-NIQA, 2-13-cv-04566-ER, 5-13-cv-04567-LS, 2-13-cv-04568-BMS, 2-13-cv-04569-RK, 2-13-cv-04570-LFR, 2-13-cv-04571-GP, 2-13-cv-04572-JHS, 2-13-cv-04573-RBS, 2-13-cv-04574-MMB, 2-13-cv-04575-HB, 2-13-cv-04576-GP, 2-13-cv-04577-MSG, 2-13-cv-04578-AB, 2-13-cv-04579-LDD, 2-13-cv-04580-NS, 2-13-cv-04581-WY, 2-13-cv-04582-JP, 2-13-cv-04583-JCJ.

Intellectual Property Attorney Leonard J. French represents clients in a range of copyright, trademark, business, and Internet-related matters. Mr. French serves clients in Pennsylvania: the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton), Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre; as well as copyright clients nationally. His office is located in Bethlehem, PA and can be reached at 610-537-3537.

Leonard J. French, The Law Firm of Leonard J. French, http://www.leonardjfrench.com, +1 (610) 537-3537 100, [email protected]