Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Pennsylvania
I received a DMCA notice from my internet service provider. I illegally downloaded a copyrighted file and they caught me red-handed. In the notice I received they listed a link to copyrightsettlements.com and a case number and password. Without thinking I went to the site and entered my personal information, including name address and email address. They said they would contact me about my settlement. I did some research after the fact and discovered that I should not have voluntarily given them that information. Also, in the notice they said that I had until April 3 2012 to settle but I only received the notice on September 5 2012. The notice says that if I do not respond before the prescribed time period then I would be facing legal action but responding in that time period is impossible since I got the notice a full 5 months after the due date.
My question is, how screwed am I? Will I just get hit with the settlement or did I just open myself up to a major lawsuit?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Response by Lawyer Michael Kotik.
The first issue I see is notice. You were notified late. Furthermore, how do we know this was even legitimate. To answer your question we would have to see the actual DMCA notice. I would suggest contacting a lawyer who handles civil litigation or intellectual property and showing them documentation you received. At which point they should be able to determine your next step.