'Hacked' solicitor quits pursuit of file sharers

A copyright dispute over downloaded blue movies has taken a “mind-boggling” turn, with the solicitor representing the pornographers telling the court he has quit the case.

Solicitor Andrew Crossley of controversial law firm ACS Law told a patent court in London yesterday that he had ceased his work on behalf of client MediaCAT after criminal attacks and bomb threats.

“I have been subject to criminal attack. My emails have been hacked. I have had death threats and bomb threats," Crossley said in the statement read to the court.

Last year, ACS Law sent thousands of letters to thousands of alleged file-sharers in the UK, demanding the recipients hand over hundreds of pounds to compensate its client MediaCAT or face going to court. This week’s court case involved 26 people who deny any wrongdoing.

The case received additional publicity last September after thousands of ACS’s emails were published online, detailing the names of the people it had accused of copyright infringement and the titles of the films they were accused of sharing.

But Crossley’s departure does not mean the end of the case. It emerged that a separate law firm has subsequently sent letters on behalf of ACS, once again alleging copyright abuse.

Judge Birss who is presiding over the case called the latest episodes “mind-boggling”, but insisted that granting permission to discontinue the case was not straightforward.

His ruling is expected within a week.