UK Lawyer Agrees To Represent Falsely Accused File Sharers For Free

from the good-for-him dept

Tue, Aug 26th 2008 7:46pm — Mike Masnick

With UK law firm Davenport Lyons ramping up its efforts to send out thousands of "pre-settlement" letters accusing folks of file sharing using flimsy evidence, it appears one lawyer wants to help those falsely accused for free. The Davenport Lyons system works in a pretty straightforward method: it makes use of evidence from Logistep, a company whose evidence is so flimsy it's been banned in other countries in Europe as illegal, and lawyers who have used its evidence have been banned from filing new cases. However, since the "pre-settlement" letters let you avoid a lawsuit for a small fee (less than it would cost to defend yourself in a lawsuit), many just pay up.

However, TorrentFreak has found a lawyer in the UK who also believes that this is unfair, and who is offering his firm's services for free to help those who have been falsely accused by Davenport Lyons. The offer is pretty specifically aimed at those who are falsely accused. He (reasonably so) doesn't seem interested in helping those who actually did infringe on copyrights, and he can only devote so much time and effort to such cases, so he may not be able to take all cases that come his way. However, for those who are falsely accused, who were afraid that it would cost more to fight than to settle, at least there's one potential option to fight back.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: file sharing, pre-settlement letters, uk
Companies: davenport lyons

7 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Trevlac, 27 Aug 2008 @ 12:41am

Think of all the free advertising he's generating by offering his services for free for a noble cause. People will look to him the next time they need a good paying lawyer.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
wasnt me!, 27 Aug 2008 @ 2:53am

Re:
that exactly what yesterday's article free not equal to unpaid was all about.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080825/0917022083.shtml
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased), 27 Aug 2008 @ 6:00am

Oh...he'll get paid!
This lawyer is thinking, I have a really good defense, I will most likely win. It is almost cookie cutter for each trial. Then I can counter-sue for damages. Still get paid. Win.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
angry dude, 27 Aug 2008 @ 7:10am

You idiots don't know anything about pre-settlements.

I pre-settled on keeping my life in exchange for my testicles, and now I'm rich because of it, bitch.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
angry dude, 27 Aug 2008 @ 9:10am

Angry dude, grow up.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 27 Aug 2008 @ 10:49am

Re:
Angry dude has grown up... but then traded in his balls and is now a child. Prone to temper tantrums and in need of frequent diaper changes.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Pensioner, 24 Mar 2009 @ 8:56am

DL
When I contacted the lawyer who is supposed to be offering free help to the innocent he asked for £70.
[ link to this | view in thread ]