Using terms like "brazen conduct and relentless fraud," a federal judge on Monday sanctioned attorneys running a BitTorrent copyright lawsuit factory, and recommended federal prosecutors investigate for potential criminal charges.

Los Angeles federal judge Otis D. Wright II said the Prenda Law attorneys' "moral turpitude" is "unbecoming of an officer of the court." (.pdf) The judge said the attorneys "fraudulently signed" documents about who owned the rights to sue thousands over the illegal downloading of pornographic films.

The attorneys, including John Steele, a Chicago barrister who has sued thousands for unlawfully downloading porn, were also labeled a racketeering outfit.

The judge often used Star Trek references as he blasted them.

"The federal agency eleven decks up is familiar with their prime directive and will gladly refit them for their next voyage. The Court will refer this matter to the United States Attorney for the Central District of California. The will also refer this matter to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service and will notify all judges before whom these attorneys have pending cases."

Kurt Opsahl, an intellectual property attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the judge's opinion underscores "the ease of which you can file copyright lawsuits."

The Copyright Act allows damages of up to $150,000 per violation. The IP addresses of allegedly unlawful downloaders are easily detected and then matched to an internet service provider. Often, before a defendant's name is made public, the defendants are asked to cough up a few thousand dollars to settle out of court or have their names appear in court documents.

"Plaintiffs have outmaneuvered the legal system. They've discovered the nexus of antiquated copyright laws, paralyzing social stigma, and unaffordable defense costs," the judge wrote.

Adding insult to injury, the lawyers were ordered to pay $40,000 in legal fees and the same in sanctions.

These aren't the first copyright-trolling attorneys to be sanctioned, either.

For background on the Prenda Law debacle, see this Ars Technica story. And check out our story about how "Mass BitTorrent Lawsuits Turn Low-Budget Movies Into Big Bucks."

Steele did not immediately respond for comment.