Thousands of Canadians could be on the hook for allegedly sharing Ryan Reynolds movie
CBC
Thousands of Canadians, including at least one here in Windsor, Ont., are the targets of legal action for allegedly infringing on the copyright of a movie starring Ryan Reynolds through file sharing.
It's one of several such actions being taken across the country on behalf of content creators in recent years.
The lawsuit lists more than 1,900 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses across Canada it says infringed the copyright of Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. It says the monetary relief that can be sought for the infringement will not be more than $50,000.
There is at least one person in Windsor using Cogeco as an internet service provider (ISP) that is being sued through Federal Court in the case. CBC News has viewed the statement of claim, but neither he nor his lawyer agreed to speak for this story.
The case was brought forward in July by Kenneth Clark, a lawyer at the Toronto-based law firm Aird Berlis, on behalf of Nevada-based company Hitman Two Productions Inc..
"There's a lot of online piracy that people think have no consequences," Clark told CBC News. "Our mandate is to show people that illegal conduct has legal consequences."
Clark said people receive two warnings through their ISPs that illegal activity is happening on their accounts before any legal action occurs. When it does, a process has been negotiated to start a formal court proceeding.
"That's by serving a statement of claim on the individual along with information on how to get legal resources so they can be informed as to the consequences.
"We are trying to enforce our client's rights because people are stealing their movies."
CBC News reached out to Ryan Reynolds' publicist, Cogeco as well as Hitman Two Productions Inc. with questions about this matter but did not hear back by publication time.
Much of the problem, according to Clark, comes from free movie apps and Android boxes that use software to not just download movies but also become a hub to share them with others.
"It's not like Napster... where you know what you're doing sometimes."
As for the high dollar amount listed in the statement of claim, Clark said the Copyright Act sets the limit, and that in a formal court document you ask for the maximum.
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