Nine companies said to have helped hunt down peer-to-peer online file swappers later sued for copyright infringement, have been warned to stop or face possible legal action for patent infringement.
Altnet said in a November 11 announcement that they've sent notices to BigChampagne, Ranger Online, MediaDefender, Overpeer, MediaSentry, and four other companies, saying they have used Altnet's TrueNames file-identifying program to do the spoofs, trackings, and interdictions.
"We continue to focus on protecting and commercializing our patented technology and realizing the potential it offers content owners by commercializing peer-to-peer networks,'' said Derek Broes, Altnet's executive vice president of worldwide operations, announcing the notices. "These companies are using Altnet's patented technology without Altnet's permission to spoof, track and interdict shared files.''
BigChampagne is preponderantly an online market research outfit with a particular focus on online P2P activity. MediaDefender's self-describe mission is helping parents protect their children against porn turning up on P2P swap networks. Ranger Online, Overpeer and MediaSentry specialize in anti-piracy solutions, according to their Websites.
And the music industry may not be the only industry that likes the work of these companies. Ranger Online's Website highlights a bullet quote from Motion Picture Association of America president Jack Valenti, calling them "like a bloodhound sniffing out titles." Representatives of these companies were unavailable for comment before this story went to press.
TrueNames identifies unique files on mass networks by way of what Altnet calls a unique file-hash identifier letting someone track, retrieve, monitor, and charge for content distribution. The program identifies data on the content and not the file name, origin, location, or address, or other easily-changed information, Altnet said. The company acquired the patents, Broes said, to build commercial solutions for P2P network operators and content owners.
"The patent should not be used improperly for any reason,'' he said. "That it is being used without permission in order to research or interfere with the infringement of others' intellectual property is ironic.''
Altnet spokeswoman Gaby Romero told AVN.com she would have comment later in the day addressing how Altnet became aware that the suspected companies were using TrueNames to track and find P2Pers.
