John Steele Plans To Appeal Judge Wright's Order; Says Judge Is 'No Fan Of IP Law'
from the no,-he's-not-a-fan-of-abusing-IP-law dept
While Judge Otis Wright may have been careful to set the financial punishment for Prenda at just less than how much it will cost to appeal, it appears that will not stop John Steele from appealing. Apparently, Steele doesn't seem to recognize that speaking to the press given his current situation may not be that wise, because he told porn news publication Xbiz the following about his reaction to the ruling:Steele on Tuesday told XBIZ that he plans on appealing Wright's order with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.Actually, Judge Wright did not base his order on just that eight-minute hearing (I believe it was actually 12 minutes, but who's counting?). He based it on all of the piles upon piles of evidence presented before that, combined with Steele and his partners' decision to refuse to testify. For Steele to now complain that "there was no testimony, no evidence introduced" is pretty laughable, since the reason there was no such information brought forth at that particular hearing was mainly due to Steele and his partners' own decision. However, there was plenty of testimony and evidence introduced previously, and Wright's order was based on that. The whole point of that last hearing was to give Steele, Hansmeier and Duffy a chance to respond to and refute that evidence. They did not do so. To now complain about it is pretty funny.
"Obviously we don't agree on the ruling," Steele said. "Judge Wright based his order on an eight-minute hearing where there was no testimony, no evidence introduced. Clearly Judge Wright does not like this type of litigation and he's no fan of intellectual property law."
Separately, the argument that Judge Wright "is no fan of intellectual property law" is equally silly. Wright seems pretty clearly to be annoyed, not at intellectual property law itself, but by the clear abuse of those laws.
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Filed Under: appeals, john steele, otis wright
Companies: prenda, prenda law
Reader Comments
The First Word
“I think I would *pay* to see that...
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Yes this is what they got in trouble for not for IP law but for abusing the law to fit their agendas.
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"I'm probably an imposter."
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Fan
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Er, What?
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Re: Er, What?
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Awesome!
Nigel
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Re: Awesome!
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Re: Re: Awesome!
After all, lying to a judge is one thing, trying to slip out of the country in the middle of a very well known trial is something all together different, because while the first might get them in trouble(and in this case it appears to have done so), the second would almost certainly bring down all sorts of less than pleasant attention on them.
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Re: Re: Re: Awesome!
I've never done this (nor felt the need to) so I don't know how hard it would actually be.
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IRS etc.
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Re: IRS etc.
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"Clearly he doesn't like this type of litigation..."
hehe
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Are you allowed to hide truths that are not testimony against yourself because you think someone might misconstrue them as being such?
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For example, a person could testify in court in defense of some one who was definitely guilty of a crime, then plead the 5th when asked certain questions in order to deflect suspicion from the accused, onto them. You could try and question them as to why they plead the 5th, but they would respond by just pleading the 5th some more. How are you going to prove the answers to the questions can't possibly be seen as incriminating? That would be a hard thing to do, and I don't see it happening. The end result would be that a person can plead the 5th for any reason they want with out fear of any form of punishment.
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For years the industry has managed to thrive buy playing a convoluted shell game. so that one hand is never aware of what the others are doing. Their lawyers apparently of like mind. Unfortunately, the internet is a perfect foil for such efforts as it allows the collection and dissemination of information that pulls the rug back on their dirty little activities.
And this is why they hate the internet.
Because for all their talk of "morality", of fairness, and of defending the "rights" of creators, when you really correlate their actions it becomes very clear how inherently dishonest, deceptive, and dishonorable these people really are.
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Mike won't tell me his views on copyright!
You're all sheep! and
Your all Pirates!
Steisand effect!
that about cover it?
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The appeals court hearing should be short and entertaining as well.
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I think I would *pay* to see that...
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Kettle corn, here I come!!!
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The Next Generation
I wonder if judges in Japan make anime references in their rulings... :P
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Re: The Next Generation
You mean like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNDnFi2h-p8
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Chutzpah
To berate the judge for not hearing testimony in that circumstance is pretty remarkable.
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I am convinced Steele & Co go to bed
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What can he appeal?
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Know your enemy
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Re: Know your enemy
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Also, before I click any link, I check the status bar at the bottom of the browser, to see where it goes. I don't follow links blind. I assumed anyone using TechDirt would know to do that.
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Re: Know your enemy
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Its just a flesh wound!
I can fight you still!
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Huff and Puff
I suspect this will never go to appeal. What I do expect is to see a rush of corporate and personal bunkrupcy. I only hope that they trust their wives.
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If this stands, it would permit every judge in the land to railroad any lawyer that they don't agree with. That would suck.
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Prenda Law wasn't the defendant in this case; Prenda Law was the plaintiff. Never mind the fact that they invoked their right to not testify, therefore permitting Wright to invoke his right to make do with whatever he was given. Considering that Prenda attempted to have him removed on the same baseless claims that he's "anti-IP" that set off big alarms that Prenda had something they didn't want Wright looking at.
What - did the other shills refuse to troll on this topic on basis of principle, and you were forced to fill in for them? I suppose it's only fair that the best and brightest copyright enforcers have the best and brightest people to speak in their favour. Is that you, Nazaire?
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The dregs of the trolling/shill pool.
Possibly "a horse with no name" is simply "an ass with no game".
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They took the 5th, boy.
As should you.
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And that's where your gold star ends, because not only did your heroes not win, you had to swap between several new pseudonyms, because your side got fucking owned!
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I like err love money....
$80k fine is 8 days of work, less than two weeks of work even considering he might only work on weekdays. Giving up 8 days of income to make bad situation go away or waste makes money to risk a much larger fine. Spock would conclude that the logical choice is to shut up and pay up.
Either he lied and never made $10k/day or he is blinded by greed.
The fact he has not split for a non-extradition country yet makes me believe that his greed will be his undoing.
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Steele and Prenda anytime they have been challenged have always put up the big front and Huffed and Puffed and got no where.
What do these guys think the chances are that they will have success on appeal? We all know what happened in the Florida case where Lutz got questioned and Steele was there and when the Judge quizzed Lutz he didn't know this or that and couldn't name anyone at AF Holdings.
The Judge in Florida declared that there was a fraud on the court and Steele & Duffy are facing sanctions there.
Then you have the case in San Francisco Where Judge Chen in another Prenda case wants to see the signed ADR that bears "Salt Marsh" signature and that was supposed to be presented by April 29 2013.
You can bet your ass now that Judge wright's report is going to go to other courts that are hearing any Prenda cases will be tuned into what is going on with Prenda and those involved in Prenda and their various cases.
I would also have to believe that the Appeals court will be made aware of the other cases and the Judges rulings in them and Prenda actions concerning them.
Sorry to say but these guys are history, I think Steele, Duffy Gibbs and Hansmeier will be sitting around the fire at the rail yard beside the boxcar, and relishing the days of old where they would chase ambulances and divorce cases and think of how good they had it as they are passing around that bottle of Scotch Ripple while waiting for the can of beans to finish cooking.
These guys have been long on the fringe side of the law, from their copyright trolling suits to their other side line of filing as an intervener in class actions suits as an objector to a settlement... but willing to drop their objection for 30K ~ wink wink ~ nudge nudge.
While they are gone for now I doubt we have seen the last of them, I hope the IRS and RICO will for once and all finish off these characters as they have crossed the line of right and wrong in my opinion.
I thought Kevin Trudeau was the definition of a true criminal, but Kevin looks like a Saint compared to the Prenda gang!
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[...] Regarding the referral for sanctions imposed by Judge Wright, Steele said, “As far as the referrals to the various Bar associations, the Illinois Bar is well aware of this type of litigation. I have had inquiries from the office of the Illinois State Bar and have satisfied their requests in the past. I am confident that agencies like the IRS and the Illinois State Bar require actual evidence before taking action against someone.
“Most importantly,” he added, “hundreds of judges across the country have ruled on these same cases and have thrown out the crazy conspiracy theories of people like Mr. Pietz [Morgan Pietz, a defendant’s attorney in the case] and groups like the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). Content producers are still winning the vast majority of hearings in piracy cases, but it is inevitable that an anti-piracy attorney would have a case in front of a judge such as Mr. Wright.”
[...] Steele told AVN that it is his understanding that Livewire Holdings, one of the entities identified by Judge Wright—by way of an actual Prenda relationship chart included in the order—as being a member of the Prenda family, “is filing multiple new cases this week."
“Hopefully,” he added defiantly, “the pirate that got away in this matter will be caught and brought to justice down the road.” [...]
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And once again Steele is also saying he is not associated with Prenda Law…but yet he knows LiveWire Holdings is filing new cases. John ought to give Miss Cleo a call his Psychic abilities are uncanny!
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Clearly Judge Wright does not like this type of litigation and he's no fan of idiots practising law.
There Mr Steele.. I fixed it for you
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