Prenda Law's copyright-trolling shakedown scam slammed AGAIN

A Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals judge has tossed an appeal by the masterminds behind the notorious Prenda Law copyright trolling activity. The appeals court agrees with other courts that Prenda operated a “national trolling scheme” that engaged in “abusive litigation” in trying to sting people for copyright violations. …

[Voland's right hand]

Interesting

“the Prenda Principals were found contradicting themselves, evading questioning, and possibly committing identity theft and fraud on the courts”

And why that was not passed to the prosecutor?

[imanidiot]

Re: Interesting

Because they where immediately sanctioned by the judge in question. It was a rather unprecedented move from a US judge, which is why it keeps dragging on.

[keithpeter]

Re: Interesting

"Because they where immediately sanctioned by the judge in question. It was a rather unprecedented move from a US judge, which is why it keeps dragging on."

Fraud and identity theft sound like fairly serious criminal charges to me. Perhaps the Prenda gang will come to remember Justice Otis fondly in future years. Seems like a generous swap (large civil fine vs jail time).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Interesting

The FBI is actively investigating them. Ken White reported this on Popehat some time ago.

https://popehat.com/2016/05/25/fbi-actively-investigating-prenda-law-team-for-fraud/

[Mitoo Bobsworth]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of guys.

</sarc>

[Oengus]

One down

That is one troll down. Hopefully it is the start of a massacre.

[Fatman]

Re: One down

<gallows humor>

Life could be so much better if Omar Mateen (the nutjob who committed the Orlando 'massacre') had walked into a spammer's convention instead.

</gallows humor>

[Anonymous Coward]

Bankruptcy for the lawyer is one thing, surely they should be disbarred* and any of the lawyers involved not allowed to practice law again. The practices of this company were blatant and brings the profession into disrepute .

Lawyers should have the possibility of ruining their career over running fraudulent litigation like this (and the numerous other shakedowns).

Although with police in the U.S. now having and actually using the power to steal whatever they want from anybody at anytime it worries me the fraud and lack of social consciousness is becoming as bad or worse than your average banana republic.

*Maybe bankruptcy does automatically disbar a lawyer, however even if it does it doesn't send the same message that an actual disbarring for this behaviour would.

[Paul Crawford]

The bankruptcy is probably a move to protect what they can (e.g. all in wife’s name, etc) and in other cases may have nothing to do with the low-life practices seen here.

Being disbarred from practice should follow such a judgement though as a separate step.

[allthecoolshortnamesweretaken]

Followed by a ritual beating.

[Fatman]

<quote>Followed by a ritual beating execution.</quote>

FTFY!!

[Alistair]

<quote>Followed by a ritual beating,</quote>

I rather suspect being forced to watch the entirety of what they were posting as bait, on an endless loop, for the same period of time they've been dragging this mess out in courts would suffice. Preferably with a Kubric style eyelid management attachment.

<what? me? vindictive? sadisitic? naaaaaaaaaaaah>

[Mike Moyle]

"...forced to watch the entirety of what they were posting as bait, on an endless loop..."

On a system where they have control of the volume, but it only goes *DOWN* to 11.

...and scratchy speakers.

...that drop out randomly.

(I find that it's the LITTLE touches that are SO important!)

[Mark 85]

The practices of this company were blatant and brings the profession into disrepute .

Which profession? Being a patent/copyright troll or a lawyer?

[Nunyabiznes]

You know the old joke:

I told my Mom that I was a piano player in a whorehouse so she wouldn't know I had become a tort lawyer.

[Anonymous Coward]

Arrghh, Lawyer jokes here we come

"The practices of this company were blatant and brings the profession into disrepute"

I am afraid we are too far beyond that now. There should be a massive culling and restriction on the legal profession's numbers, followed by a ban on "ambulance chasing" ads, followed by complete tort law reform. Clear ethical transgressions by the legal profession need to become automatic grounds for legal action and disbarment. A Hippocratic oath with clear legal consequences, as it were.

There are just too many opportunistic lawyers feeding on the bloated corpse of jurisprudence who are waiting to suck the unwary in. When all else fails, they can still run for office, get elected and help make things worse. The system is falling apart because it needs to be purged.

In the old days, ethics and self-policing, group and social pressure kept most legal-beagles in line. Those days are pretty much gone. The US legal and political system now needs a complete blood transfusion.

[John Brown (no body)]

"Maybe bankruptcy does automatically disbar a lawyer, however even if it does it doesn't send the same message that an actual disbarring for this behaviour would."

Is that a withdrawal of a State licence to practice or is that something for the professional body (the Bar?) to deal with afterwards?