Lawyers accused of 'bullying' and 'threatening' alleged filesharers

Mobile network giant O2 has accused copyright holders and lawyers of ‘bullying’ and ‘threatening’ broadband users accused of illegally file sharing.

A law firm and the clients that it represents has come under fire from a mobile network provider, which has accused them of ‘bullying’ and ‘threatening’ broadband users that are accused of illegal file sharing. The network provider, O2, has spoken out about letters that are being sent to consumers by the UK law firm ACS:Law and its client DigiProtect, which is an anti-piracy firm representing a number of content owners.

The network operator said that it was concerned over attempts “by rights holders and their lawyers to bully or threaten our customers”. However, the law firm has denied any wrongdoing, and denies that its letters are bullying or threatening in nature. The firm is said to be contacting thousands of consumers accused of copyright infringement, and giving them the opportunity to settle out of court at a cost of five hundred pounds for each infringement.

Andrew Crossley of ACS: Law stated: “Neither we nor our clients threaten or bully anyone. We send out letters of claim to account holders of internet connections where those internet connections have been identified as being utilised for illegal file-sharing of our clients’ copyrighted works.” He added: “Our letter makes an enquiry in that regard and invites the recipient of our letter to respond to this evidence. In addition they are invited to enter into a compromise to avoid litigation.”

O2 said that some of its customers had been amongst those to receive the letters, and an official from the firm said: “Where we are legally obliged to provide information and the correct paperwork is presented, we will comply with the law. But we prefer the ‘win-win’ approach of encouraging the development of new business models that offer customers the content they want, how they want it, for a fair price.”

Source – BBC