A huge win against the copyright abusers took place today in the WIED court. District Judge William M. Conley issued his Opinion and Order regarding one of many troll Lipscomb‘s sleazy practices:

On May 28, 2013, Magistrate Judge Crocker ordered plaintiff Malibu Media to show cause why this court should not issue Rule 11(b) sanctions for its regular practice of attaching an apparently unrelated and embarrassing “Exhibit C” to the complaints in each of the above-captioned copyright infringement cases.

As a result,

While plaintiff offers at least colorable justifications for attaching these lists, the court is unconvinced, concluding that the intent was to harass and intimidate defendants into early settlements by use of the salacious nature of others’ materials, rather than the merit of its own copyright claims. Accordingly, the court will sanction plaintiff’s counsel $200 per case.

While it may seem like $200 per case is a penny for the Lipscomb/Field extortion enterprise, don’t forget that now each of Malibu’s cases with the infamous Exhibit “C” is likely to be affected. And there is a legion of such cases across the country.

Big thanks to Mitch Stoltz and Erin Russell for filing the amicus curiae brief on behalf of the EFF, which undoubtedly had an impact on the judge’s decision.

The Order is going to be quoted ad nauseum in future Doe motions:

While the court agrees with Malibu Media that there is only circumstantial evidence of ill intent, Malibu Media’s denials do not pass the smell test, and any denial of improper motive by its counsel does not pass the laugh test.

A well deserved reversal of fortune after the Bellwether fiasco.

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