Several members of the House of Lords have strongly criticised law firms that send letters to alleged copyright infringers demanding payments with the threat of legal action.
According to TorrentFreak, the Peers labelled the practice “legal blackmail” and accused the law firms of “harassment, bullying and intrusion.”
The scheme entails threatening people with legal action if they do not pay several hundred pounds in damages. The first company to do this was the respected Davenport Lyons, which stopped after an exposé by the BBC's Watchdog programme. Later a firm called ACS:Law continued the practice.
Speaking at the House of Lords, Lord Lucas stated that the Government needed to look in to “providing a defence against law firms who just repeat endless allegations and threats – no intention, as far as I can see, of actually taking it to court.”
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