ME2 PRODUCTIONS Obtains $15,000 Default Judgments in Arizona – ISP Subpoena Defense
ME2 PRODUCTIONS Obtains Several Default Judgments in Arizona District Court for $15,000 Each Against Defendants.
ME2 PRODUCTIONS, the movie company behind the Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, and Tommy Lee Jones movie “MECHANIC: RESURRECTION” has been suing Internet users around the country for using computer file-sharing software to obtain its movie for free.
Unfortunately, sometimes people who are targeted fail to defend themselves and a default judgment results. Previously other Defendants had $7,500 default judgments entered against them in this case by Judge G Murray Snow. But today, in case number 17-cv-00210 in the District of Arizona, the Judge G Murray Snow entered the following Order entering $15,000 default judgments:
ORDER: Defendant’s Motion to Set Aside Default (Doc. [92]) is denied. Plaintiff’s Motion for Default Judgment against Veronica Carreon and Jaime Carreon (unknown Carreon) is granted. Plaintiff’s request for statutory damages pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 504(c) against Defendants in the amount of $15,000.00 is GRANTED. Plaintiff’s request for permanent injunction against Defendants is GRANTED. Defendants are further ORDERED to destroy all illegally obtained copies of Mechanic: Resurrection in their possession, custody, or control, including both electronic files and any copies of Mechanic: Resurrection transferred onto any physical medium or device. Defendants are further ORDERED to delete all software used to exchange unlicensed media content, such as the BitTorrent protocol, or to used make or distribute copies of Mechanic: Resurrection. Defendants are further ORDERED to, in the future, refrain from knowingly and willfully using BitTorrent or any other online media distribution system for copying or downloading content in violation of U.S. copyright law. There is no just reason for delay and therefore this judgment is entered as a final judgment as to the claims of Plaintiff against Defendants in this case. The Clerk is instructed to enter this Final Default Judgment immediately. See document for complete details. Signed by Judge G Murray Snow on 3/13/18. (EJA)
A default judgment does not have to happen. If you cannot afford an attorney, try to find a legal aid attorney or legal clinic that can help you.
Did you receive a copyright infringement notice from your internet service provider (ISP), and a subpoena from ME2 PRODUCTIONS for the illegal download of the movie, ‘MECHANIC: RESURRECTION’? Don’t panic, we’re here to help.
This article will tell you:
- What the ME2 Productions Subpoena and lawsuit is about.
- How to contact Antonelli Law if you have questions.
- How ME2 Productions obtains your name from just your IP address
Why Did I Receive a Subpoena from ME2 PRODUCTIONS?
The ME2 PRODUCTIONS subpoena relates to a federal copyright infringement lawsuit. Essentially, ME2 PRODUCTIONS is alleging someone in your home or office illegally downloaded MECHANIC: RESURRECTION using file-sharing software such as BitTorrent without paying a license fee.
Set up a free consultation to discuss the specifics of your case, or keep reading below for more information on what you can expect from your case with ME2 PRODUCTIONS.
What the ME2 PRODUCTIONS Lawsuit Is About
The ME2 Productions lawsuit is a federal copyright infringement lawsuit in which the owner of the copyright to “MECHANIC: RESURRECTION” allege that internet users (here, ISP users) illegally obtained their movies for free using file-sharing technology called BitTorrent.
The lawsuit seeks money through statutory damages under the US Copyright Act potentially up to $150,000 (this amount of an award is rare) plus their attorneys fees and costs, if they can prove to the court they: 1) own the copyright 2) the defendant illegally downloaded the movie. This is a broad summary but at this point its all that probably matters for you to know.
What Do I Do About My ME2 PRODUCTIONS ISP Subpoena?
Firstly and most importantly- don’t ignore it! You have a limited amount of time to decide what to do; the longer you leave it, the fewer choices you’ll have. Typically, you have anywhere from two weeks to one month after receiving the ISP letter and ME2 PRODUCTIONS subpoena to decide what to do.
Secondly, deleting anything could make the penalties worse, don’t try to hide anything.
Don’t Sign Anything Before Speaking with a Copyright Defense Attorney
If you receive a Waiver of Service of Summons form in the mail, don’t sign it before speaking with an experienced attorney. Signing the Waiver of Service of Summons form you received in the mail from the movie company’s lawyer will in some cases lead to an unfair default or consent judgments against you.
Speaking with an experienced attorney with a background in ISP subpoena defense can help you make informed decisions about how to proceed. Antonelli Law provides free copyright infringement consultations to those Internet users being sued by ME2 PRODUCTIONS or who received a subpoena from their ISP and a letter about copyright infringement.
If you want to read more about recent cases of ISP users in copyright infringement allegation lawsuits, consider this article by Jeffrey Antonelli about “copyright troll” litigation, published by the Illinois State Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section. It speaks to our experience in this field of litigation.
Once you’ve spoken to an experienced ISP Subpoena Defense Attorney, you’ll understand your specific case better, but generally, you have three options:
Defendants’ Options for the ME2 PRODUCTIONS Copyright Infringement Claims:
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- Resolve the case anonymously
- File a motion to quash before it gets to court
- Prepare to fight your case in court
Set up a free consultation to discuss the specifics of your case, or keep reading below for more information on what you can expect from your case with ME2 Productions.
Speak with Antonelli Law For Free
Already know you want to speak with an attorney? Speak for free with Antonelli Law Defense by calling us nationwide at 312-201-8310 or use our confidential contact form below. Antonelli Law and our local counsel have helped protect many people from BitTorrent copyright infringement lawsuits just like the ME2 Productions lawsuits. We will talk with you for free and explain each of your legal options including:
1) Have us negotiate an anonymous settlement on your behalf with ME2 PRODUCTIONS
2) File a motion to quash the subpoena it issued to your ISP, or
3) Defend your innocence in court.
Click here for our free, confidential contact form.
Use our confidential contact form by the link or embedded form below and we will respond to you soon, within 24 hours
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How ME2 PRODUCTIONS Finds Out Your Name From Your IP Address – From your ISP
When ME2 Productions filed the lawsuit, all it had as evidence was a computer’s IP addresses (like 148.75.194.14) to try to identify which internet account is associated with that IP address. They can easily determine that on the date and time of the alleged movie downloads that IP address ”148.75.194.14” was an ISP customer. But on its own, the movie company cannot tell which ISP customer it was. And it can’t serve a lawsuit on an IP address. ME2 Productions needs a name and address.
ISP already knows which of its customers was assigned IP address ”148.75.194.14”. But internet users are entitled to protection from their identities being revealed in connection with their internet activity. So, the movie company ME2 Productions must ask a federal judge for permission to issue a subpoena compelling ISP to reveal who the internet subscriber is (their name and address) IP address ”148.75.194.14”
ME2 PRODUCTIONS Files a Motion in Court Asking to Subpoena Your ISP to Learn Your Name
ME2 Productions files a motion with the Court to obtain permission to issue a subpoena to ISP. This motion’s technical name is “Motion For Leave to Issue a Third party Subpoena Prior to a Rule 26(f) Conference”. I’ll just call it the ISP subpoena for your reading ease. This ISP subpoena request has several parts. The entire motion is embedded below, but here is a summary:
ME2 Productions tells the Court MaverickEye UG, a German company, obtained a direct connection with each defendants’ IP address and logged the IP address, time, and hash file number – and the data downloaded from each infringing computer device is matched to the complete file.
What is the amount and type of data allegedly downloaded from each computer device? It does not say.
ME2 Productions Motion for ISP Subpoena - ColoradoIs it enough to state a claim for copyright infringement? A judge might find it is not.
What Are These Lawsuits About?
Critics of these BitTorrent copyright infringement lawsuits say its about the movie company generating more revenue. The movie company says it is filing these lawsuits to stop piracy of its intellectual property.
What is My First Notice If I Am Targeted In A Lawsuit?
If your internet address (“IP address”) is involved, your first notice of the lawsuit will probably be a letter or email from Comcast Hawaiian Telecom, Optimum Online, Verizon, Spectrum, or Time Warner and a copy of a subpoena from ME2 PRODUCTIONS.
The letter should tell you the date and time the movie was allegedly downloaded the case name and number, and inform you of your legal right to file a motion to quash or vacate the subpoena it received, by a certain date.
This is the time to talk with us about either having us negotiate an anonymous settlement, file a motion to quash subpoena, or prepare for your defense in court. We cannot help you remain anonymous after the internet company releases your information to the movie company, but can still help you negotiate a fair and confidential release as part of a settlement, or prepare for your defense in court.
What Can Antonelli Law Do For Me?
Antonelli Law will help you decide what to do about the ME2 PRODUCTIONS letters, subpoenas, and summons. We have helped many people accused of downloading movies over the internet in these types of lawsuits.
Remember, don’t panic. Learn the facts and your legal options by speaking for free to an Antonelli Law attorney confidentially nationwide at 312-201-8310 or use the contact form here.
Our clients say Antonelli Law is very good at:
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- Reducing your anxiety about the problem
- Giving clear information to help you decide what to do
- Responsive and accessible via phone and email
- Tenacious and effective lawyers in lawsuit litigation
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We understand the shock you may be feeling from receiving a notice of this action, and have the experience to help you deal with this in the best way possible for you: anonymous settlement, or prepare to fight back.
Antonelli Law is the Most Experienced BitTorrent Copyright Defense Firm in the Country
We can help you learn your legal options if you received an ISP letter informing you a subpoena for your identity was received, a settlement demand letter from the movie company’s attorneys, or if you are served with a summons or waiver of service of summons. We have helped nearly 2,000 people nationwide affordably defend themselves from over 50 different movie companies.
Read Even More Details Below About the Lawsuit and How to Defend Against It
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- Don’t Sign a Waiver of Service of Summons Form Before Speaking with an Attorney
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As defense attorneys, we are concerned that people who receive a Waiver of Service of Summons form in the mail from the movie company’s lawyer this will lead to an unfair default judgment against them. If you receive one of these forms, please speak with us before signing anything.
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- Consider Filing A Motion to Quash Subpoena in the ME2 PRODUCTIONS Case
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The best reason for filing a motion to quash subpoena is if a now-anonymous defendant can manage to remain anonymous, it is possible the movie company may never be able to serve him or her with a court Summons and lawsuit Complaint.
That would be a terrific win for the defense, before the case even got started and before the expensive litigation processes of discovery and motions for summary judgment are filed. To do that, we argue that the lawsuit Complaint cannot stand up to a motion to dismiss the complaint. Therefore, if the lawsuit Complaint is not good enough there is no good reason for the subpoena to the ISP to proceed.
The Evidence Needed to Prove Copyright Infringement by ME2 PRODUCTIONS
ME2 PRODUCTIONS must show to the Court that:
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- It has ownership of a valid copyright and
- The defendant violated the copyright owner’s exclusive rights under the Copyright Act.
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We Could Not Find Sufficient Allegations of Evidence by ME2 PRODUCTIONS
We examined the court filings of ME2 PRODUCTIONS in case number 1:17-cv-02280-WYD-ME filed in the United States District Court of Colorado. We also reviewed the motion and exhibits in the case above, 1:17-cv-02280-WYD-ME ME2 PRODUCTIONS v JOHN DOES . From this review, we did not see that the movie company alleged sufficient evidence to show that its copyright was violated by the defendants it accuses.
For the reasons that follow below, we believe filing a motion to quash subpoena to stop the internet company from releasing the name and address of the unnamed Defendant could be justified. Stated simply, when we looked at the court filings by ME2 PRODUCTIONS we found in our opinion a lack of evidence of copyright infringement in the lawsuit’s complaint.
For example, ME2 PRODUCTIONS claims in its lawsuit Complaint at paragraph 50(a):”Each Defendant has downloaded a piece of the Plaintiff’s Work (emphasis added)“
One or more pieces? Is this even enough data to produce a flash of one image of the movie? If so this may qualify as a defense for what is called “de minimis” copyright infringement, which may entitle the movie company to nothing. You can read more about “de minimis” copyright infringement as well as the fair use defense here.
Finally, if you are curious you can read these filings for yourself by viewing the embedded Complaint below.
In our review of these court filings, in our opinion ME2 PRODUCTIONS has simply failed to allege sufficient evidence to show that its copyright was violated by the defendant it accuses.
In other words:
From what we saw, nothing was said about the size or contents of the portions of the work actually downloaded from the defendants’ IP addresses
ME2 Productions Complaint 17-cv-02280 Colorado
What Are Movie Downloading Cases in General About? What Are “Copyright Troll” Lawsuits?
If you want to read more, consider reading the article I wrote about “copyright troll” litigation which was published by the Illinois State Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section:
Torrent Wars
Copyright Trolls, Legitimate IP rights, and the Need for New Rules Vetting Evidence and to Amend the Copyright Act
by Jeffrey J. Antonelli
Call us for a free consultation nationwide at 312-201-8310
Some of our attorneys are listed below. We represent clients in Hawaii, California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.
District of Colorado
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Doe 1 et al 1:17-cv-02385
Doe 1 et al 1:17-cv-02280
Doe 1 et al 1:17-cv-01810
John Does (1-8) 1:17-cv-01207
Does 1 et al (1-16) 1:17-cv-01162
Doe 1 et al (1-5) 1:17-cv-00821
John Does (1-7) 1:17-cv-00793
John Does (1-19) 1:17-cv-00724
John Does (1-11) 1:17-cv-00674
Doe et al (1-24) 1:17-cv-00607
Doe et al (1-11) 1:17-cv-00508
Doe et al (1-11) 1:17-cv-00387
Doe et al (1-15) 1:17-cv-00301
Doe et al (1-20) 1:17-cv-00170
Doe et al (1-20) 1:17-cv-00033
Doe 1 et al (1-4) 1:17-cv-01031
Doe 1 et al (1-7) 1:17-cv-01089
District of Hawaii
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Doe 1 et al 1:17-cv-00320
Does 1-20 1:17-cv-00155
Does 1-20 1:17-cv-00131
Does 1-20 1:17-cv-00130
Does 1-15 1:17-cv-00098
Does 1-16 1:17-cv-00096
Does 1-20 1:17-cv-00078
Does 1-19 1:17-cv-00079
Northern District of Illinois
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-03914
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-03913
Does 1-29 1:17-cv-03912
Does 1-20 1:17-cv-03911
Does 1-27 1:17-cv-03910
Does 1-28 1:17-cv-03852
Does 1-27 1:17-cv-03851
Does 1-23 1:17-cv-03850
Does 1-18 1:17-cv-03847
Does 1-20 1:17-cv-03846
Does 1-36 1:17-cv-02467
Does 1-31 1:17-cv-02466
Does 1-31 1:17-cv-02465
Does 1-29 1:17-cv-02464
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-02462
Does 1-24 1:17-cv-02423
Does 1-22 1:17-cv-02421
Does 1-21 1:17-cv-02420
Does 1-19 1:17-cv-02419
Does 1-23 1:17-cv-02418
Does 1-28 1:17-cv-01541
Does 1-34 1:17-cv-01539
Does 1-31 1:17-cv-01536
Does 1-28 1:17-cv-01535
Does 1-23 1:17-cv-01532
Does 1-24 1:17-cv-01478
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-01476
Does 1-33 1:17-cv-01473
Does 1-34 1:17-cv-01471
Does 1-32 1:17-cv-01469
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-00706
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-00708
Does 1-26 1:17-cv-00710
Does 1-25 1:17-cv-00712
Does 1-42 1:17-cv-00714
Does 1-24 1:17-cv-03183
Does 1-27 1:17-cv-03184
Does 1-37 1:17-cv-03186
Does 1-36 1:17-cv-03188
Does 1-29 1:17-cv-03189
District of Indiana
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Doe 1 et al (1-8) 1:17-cv-01723
Doe 1 et al (1-9) 3:17-cv-00186
Doe 1 et al (1-11) 2:17-cv-00096
District of Nevada
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Does (1-21) 2:17-cv-00724
Does (1-18) 2:17-cv-00723
Does (1-24) 2:17-cv-00722
Does (1-18) 2:17-cv-00676
Does 2:17-cv-00668
Does (1-31) 2:17-cv-00667
Does (1-27) 2:17-cv-00666
Does 1-30 2:17-cv-00665
Does (1-22) 2:17-cv-00126
Does (1-20) 2:17-cv-00124
Does (1-19) 2:17-cv-00123
Does (1-21) 2:17-cv-00122
Does (1-23) 2:17-cv-00121
Does (1-23) 2:17-cv-00114
Does 1-21 2:17-cv-00049
District of New York
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Doe-100.2.179.124 et al 1:17-cv-05053
Doe-67.85.69.69 et al 1:17-cv-05701
Does (1-15) 1:17-cv-03467
Does (1-15) 1:17-cv-02645
Does (1-15) 1:17-cv-02175
Does (1-15) 1:17-cv-02284
Does (1-14) 1:17-cv-01604
Does (1-15) 1:17-cv-01456
Does (1-16) 1:17-cv-01196
Does (1-14) 1:17-cv-01049
Doe 98.14.173.58 et al 1:17-cv-02717
District of North Carolina
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Does 1-5 5:17-cv-00131
Does 1-5 5:17-cv-00121
Doe 1-12 1:17-cv-00150
Doe 1-15 5:17-cv-00099
District of Ohio
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Does 1-9 1:17-cv-00863
Does 1-8 2:17-cv-00342
District of Pennsylvania
ME2 Productions Inc. v
John Does 1-10 2:17-cv-01618
John Does 1-13 5:17-cv-01352
John Does 1-13 2:17-cv-00572
District of Texas
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Doe 1 et al 4:17-cv-01212
Doe 1 et al (1-14) 4:17-cv-01033
Does 1-11 4:17-cv-00862
Does 1-11 4:17-cv-00695
Does 1-12 4:17-cv-00501
Does 1-12 4:17-cv-00404
Doe 4:17-cv-00275
District of Utah
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Does 1-24 2:17-cv-00664
Does 1-26 2:17-cv-00663
Does 1-24 2:17-cv-00662
Does 1-26 2:17-cv-00626
Does 1-27 2:17-cv-00625
Does 1-36 2:17-cv-00624
Does (1-27) 2:17-cv-00576
Does (1-29) 2:17-cv-00547
Does (1-25) 2:17-cv-00526
Does (1-26) 2:17-cv-00525
Does (1-22) 2:17-cv-00523
Does (1-14) 2:17-cv-00225
Does (1-12) 2:17-cv-00224
Does (1-24) 2:17-cv-00223
Does (1-23) 2:17-cv-00198
Does (1-26) 2:17-cv-00199
Does (1-22) 2:17-cv-00200
Does (1-27) 2:17-cv-00191
Does (1-29) 2:17-cv-00190
Does (1-22) 2:17-cv-00189
Does (1-25) 2:17-cv-00179
Does (1-23) 2:17-cv-00178
Does (1-25) 2:17-cv-00169
Does (1-26) 2:17-cv-00168
Does (1-25) 2:17-cv-00158
Does (1-23) 2:17-cv-00157
District of Virginia
ME2 Productions Inc. v
Does (1-11) 3:17-cv-00002
District of Washington
ME2 Productions, Inc. v.
Doe 1 et al 2:17-cv-01220
Doe 1 et al 2:17-cv-01077
See Also:
NY Judge “A Sucker” For ME2 Productions Movie “Mechanic: Resurrection”