From Ars Technica · · 1m 30s
The fake filmmaker who sued six torrent trackers
A copyright suit against PassThePopcorn collapsed after the real filmmaker said he had never heard of the guy using his name.
In brief
A copyright suit against PassThePopcorn collapsed after the real filmmaker said he had never heard of the guy using his name. A first-of-its-kind copyright case against private trackers fell apart because the plaintiff could not prove he was who he said he was, and now he may be sanctioned. Originally reported by Ars…
Six trackers, one lawsuit
A man calling himself independent filmmaker Matthew Schneider sued six private torrent sites, including PassThePopcorn, BroadcasTheNet and HDBits, over films he claimed to have made.
The real target was anonymity
For months he pushed to make Cloudflare unmask the people running the trackers, turning a copyright claim into a hunt for operator identities.
The actual filmmaker spoke up
A sworn declaration from the real Matthew Schneider said he had nothing to do with the suit at all.
“I am not involved in, nor have I ever appeared in, this case.”
A very convenient coincidence
The plaintiff's answer was that he is simply a different Matthew Schneider who happened to make three films with the exact same titles as the other man's movies.
“I'm a different Matthew Schneider”
Dismissed, but not off the hook
With sanctions looming, he voluntarily dropped the claims. At least one defendant is seeking sanctions anyway, and the judge had already warned about a frivolous filing meant to deceive the court.
A banned user with a grudge
Defense lawyer Erin Russell said the email on his filings traces to an account likely banned for selling invites. Sanctions still require knowing his real name, which nobody does.
“bears ill will”
What matters most
A first-of-its-kind copyright case against private trackers fell apart because the plaintiff could not prove he was who he said he was, and now he may be sanctioned.
