Matches in DBpedia 2016-04 for { <http://wikidata.dbpedia.org/resource/Q7240533> ?p ?o }
- Q7240533 subject Q15244078.
- Q7240533 subject Q6932961.
- Q7240533 subject Q8418455.
- Q7240533 subject Q8585038.
- Q7240533 abstract "Prenda Law, also known as Steele | Hansmeier PLLP and Anti-Piracy Law Group, was a Chicago-based law firm that ostensibly operated by undertaking litigation against copyright infringement, but was later characterized by the United States District Court for Central California in a May 2013 ruling as a "porno-trolling collective" whose business model "relies on deception", and which resembled most closely a conspiracy and racketeering enterprise, referring in the judgment to RICO, the United States Federal anti-racketeering law. The firm ostensibly dissolved itself in July 2013 shortly after the adverse ruling (although onlookers describe Alpha Law Firm LLC as its apparent replacement), while in 2014, ABA Journal-Law News described the "Prenda Law saga" as entering "legal folklore".In the 2013 civil ruling, Prenda Law, and three named principals, John Steele, Paul Hansmeier, and Paul Duffy, were found to have undertaken vexatious litigation, identity theft, misrepresentation and calculated deception (including "fraudulent signature"), professional misconduct and to have shown moral turpitude. The principals were also deemed to have founded and been the de facto owners and officers of the shell company plaintiff and their alleged "client", created in order to "give an appearance of legitimacy". As a result, the firm and its principals were fined; the matter was also referred to the United States Attorney for Central California (for criminal indictment consideration) and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division (for tax fraud consideration). A fourth attorney, Brett Gibbs, was also sanctioned, fined and referred to a disciplinary committee by the court for false statements and his part in the subsequent cover-up, though described as their employee. (Gibbs' monetary sanctions were later vacated after turning whistleblower as part of his appeal). Subsequently other Federal courts in different states also ruled in a similar manner against the firm and/or others linked to it, including fraud upon the court ruled in a Minnesota court review of 5 closed cases and "relentless willingness to lie" in an Illinois court, criminal prosecutor referrals also occurred or were suggested in other jurisdictions.The firm's modus operandi as described in the ruling and media coverage, was to threaten individual members of the public with litigation (hence public exposure) over allegations that they breached copyright during pornographic downloads (based on a "statistical guess" according to the court). The firm would then offer to settle the case (silently) for a little below the cost of an active legal defense, in what was described by the court as an "extortion payment". Cases with robust defendants and non-profitable cases were dropped. At times the firm acted for client corporations whose filed papers contained discredited signatures and identities found false by the courts – commenters characterized the firm's plaintiffs as often (though not always) being shell companies operated for the firm and/or attorneys' own benefit a Federal District court described Prenda's principal attorneys in 2013 as "engaging [a] cloak of shell companies and fraud", and comments of "shocking" and apparent "shell game activity" by Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals judges at the inability or refusal to describe relationships between the law firms, "clients" and principals, An expert witness affidavit stated that IP addresses linked to Prenda's Minnesota and Florida offices and John Steele, had themselves been identified in 2013 as the initial "seeders" (sharers) of some pornographic media, tagged for "fast" sharing on file-sharing networks, which would be followed up by threat of legal action, with Prenda as the pornography producer or copyright purchaser, file sharer (offeror), plaintiff, and plaintiff's attorney; the suspect IP, linked to pirate media distribution, was confirmed as Steele and Hansmeier's by Comcast. In some cases hacking was alleged, or claims that the defendant was one of hundreds or thousands of "co-conspirators" for whom non-party subpoenas and discovery were sought; in one case the defendant testified he was in effect offered an ultimatum to act as a "sham" defendant and collusively agree to be sued.Commentators writing for Salon, Law360, JETLaw journal, Forbes, The Consumerist, and The Register described the business as a copyright troll or as "notorious" for trolling, while tech website Ars Technica described the judge as coming at the firm and its principals "like a tornado".".
- Q7240533 extinctionYear "2013".
- Q7240533 fate "Dissolved following adverse legal ruling (successor business claimed to be founded)".
- Q7240533 industry Q7748.
- Q7240533 locationCity Q1297.
- Q7240533 locationCountry Q30.
- Q7240533 revenue "15.0".
- Q7240533 revenue "1930000.0".
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- Q7240533 wikiPageExternalLink 128278939-prenda-law-v-paul-godfread-alan-cooper.pdf.
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- Q7240533 wikiPageExternalLink 2013-02-15-Cook%20County%20Complaint.pdf.
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