Somewhat under the radar, several new copyright suits were lodged in recent months on the dockets of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

One such case was filed by LHF Productions, Inc., one of the most prolific “troll-style” copyright enforcers in the nation.  As noted on this blog, LHF holds copyrights to the action flick London Has Fallen, featuring Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart in an assassination plot caper.  The Maryland case follows many other LHF suits recently filed in other jurisdictions across the land.

As noted, Criminal Productions allegedly holds rights to the sci-fi flick Criminal, which stars Kevin Costner as a brain-damaged convict implanted with the memories of a deceased CIA operative.  This follows other Criminal Productions suits filed in several other states.

Another suit was brought in the name of September Productions Inc., which holds rights in the 2015 film Septembers in Shiraz, described by Variety as an “autobiographically inspired tale of a wealthy Jewish family in Tehran suffering under Iran’s shift to fundamentalist Islam.”

As reported before, LHF, Criminal Productions and September Productions are each affiliates of Nu Image / Millennium Films, which hold interests in several other film titles that have been the subject of prior BitTorrent suits, including Automata, The Humbling, The Expendables, Charlie Countryman and Bad Lieutenant.

A final case concerns CELL Film Holdings, LLC, which claims copyrights to the John Cusack/Samuel L. Jackson zombie-themed movie Cell.  As noted by Troll Defense in a post on similar Oregon CELL Film Holdings cases, Cell is based on a 2006 Stephen King novel of the same title about a signal sent out over the global cell phone network that transforms every cell phone user into a mindless killer.

The BitTorrent cases filed in the Maryland District Court allege copyright infringement by  scores of separate “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software.  The plaintiffs are out for actual or maximum statutory damages (“$150,000 per defendant”) pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

UPDATE 1/7/17:  New cases were filed by ME2 Productions, Inc., and Cook Productions, LLC.

As Troll Defense reported before, ME2 Productions Inc. has rights in the 2016 action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, which stars Jessica Alba and Jason Stratham. ME2 Productions is quickly emerging as one of the most prolific filers of “Troll” copyright actions. The films’s predecessor, The Mechanic, was also the subject of BitTorrent lawsuits.

Cook Productions, LLC, owns rights in the recently released Eddie Murphy period drama, Mr. Church.  As troll defense previously reported, Cook Productions is an affiliate of Cinelou Films, a production company with a “notable catalog of major motion pictures.” The Mr. Church lawsuits  filed in  federal courts across the U.S. represent the first known attempts by Cinelou Films at “troll-style” copyright litigation.

These complaints were all signed by attorney Jeffrey R. Schmieler of Columbia, Maryland.  A case listing with links to the complaints is below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Case No. 1:16-cv-02759
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-14
Filed: 08/04/2016

Case No. 1:16-cv-03043
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-15
Filed: 09/01/2016

Case No. 8:16-cv-03208
Criminal Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-12
Filed: 09/21/2016

Case No. 8:16-cv-03429
September Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-3
Filed: 10/13/2016

Filed: 11/17/2016
Case No. 8:16-cv-03730
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-15

Filed: 12/02/2016
Case No. 8:16-cv-03873
Cook Productions, LLC v. Does 1-10

Two new copyright actions were filed in North Carolina U.S. District Courts by CELL Film Holdings, LLC, which claims copyrights to the John Cusack/Samuel L. Jackson zombie-themed movie Cell.

As noted by Troll Defense in a post on similar Oregon CELL Film Holdings cases, Cell is based on a 2006 Stephen King novel of the same title about a signal sent out over the global cell phone network that transforms every cell phone user into a mindless killer.

CELL Film Holdings is an affiliate of Benaroya Pictures.  As noted in a prior Troll Defense post regarding affiliated film Queen of the Desert, Benaroya Pictures was founded by Michael Benaroya, son of a Seattle real-estate mogul, who began funding films in 2009, including past titles such as “New York, I Love You,” “The Romantics,” “Catch .44,” “Margin Call” and “The Words.”  As predicted then, the Cell lawsuits confirm Benaroya’s foray into a national, multi-title “troll-style” lawsuit campaign.

The new Cell lawsuits, in the Eastern and Middle District Courts, allege copyright infringement by several “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software.  Along with generic allegations of BitTorrent-based copyright infringement, the suits seek statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

Like other BitTorrent lawsuits filed in the state, these complaints were signed by Cary, N.C. attorneys Kathleen M. Lynch and/or R. Matthew Van Sickle.  A case listing with links to the complaints is below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Filed: 10/4/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00833
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-9

Filed: 10/10/2016
Case No. 1:16-cv-01216
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-2

Notorious BitTorrent plaintiff LHF Productions, Inc. has expanded its nationwide litigation campaign to Utah, with recent copyright lawsuits against hundreds of “Doe” defendants in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah

LHF Productions, Inc. holds copyrights to the action flick London Has Fallen, featuring Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart in an assassination plot caper.  The Utah cases are among many other LHF suits recently filed in many other federal courts across the U.S.  As reported before, LHF is an affiliate of Nu Image / Millennium Films, which hold interests in films that have been the subject of numerous prior BitTorrent copyright actions, including Mechanic: Resurrection, Septembers in Shiraz, Automata, The Humbling, The Expendables, Charlie Countryman and Bad Lieutenant.

The new lawsuits each allege direct and indirect copyright infringement by many unknown “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software. The cases seek actual or statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

UPDATE (2/1/17): LHF Productions filed four new lawsuits over the past several weeks.

UPDATE (3/12/17): LHF Productions filed three new lawsuits over the past several weeks.

Each of these LHF complaints was signed by Salt Lake City attorney Todd E. Zenger of Kirton McConkie.  A case listing, with links to the complaints, are below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Filed: 09/27/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01007
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-30

Filed: 10/19/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01071
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-26

Filed: 10/19/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01072
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-24

Filed: 10/26/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01100
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-22

Filed: 12/02/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01219
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-27

Filed: 12/08/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01236
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-25

Filed: 12/08/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01238
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-28

Filed: 12/08/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01237
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-27

Filed: 12/27/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01280
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-27

Filed: 12/27/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01279
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-24

Filed: 12/30/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01297
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-18

Filed: 12/30/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01298
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-26

Filed: 01/06/2017
Case No. 2:17-cv-00016
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-21

Filed: 01/06/2017
Case No. 2:17-cv-00017
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-24

Filed: 02/10/2017
Case No. 2:17-cv-00103
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-30

Filed: 02/13/2017
Case No. 2:17-cv-00104
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-23

Filed: 02/17/2017
Case No. 2:17-cv-00122
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-21

Several notorious BitTorrent “troll-style” plaintiffs have enlarged their national litigation scheme to include suits against scores of “Doe” defendants in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

A new case was filed by CELL Film Holdings, LLC, which claims copyrights to the John Cusack/Samuel L. Jackson zombie-themed movie Cell.  As noted by Troll Defense in a post on similar Oregon CELL Film Holdings cases, Cell is based on a 2006 Stephen King novel of the same title about a signal sent out over the global cell phone network that transforms every cell phone user into a mindless killer.

CELL Film Holdings is an affiliate of Benaroya Pictures.  As predicted earlier in a Troll Defense post, the Cell lawsuits confirm Benaroya’s foray into a national, multi-title “troll-style” lawsuit campaign, along wither earlier cases involving Queen of The Desert.

Another action was lodged by September Productions Inc., which holds rights in the 2015 film Septembers in Shiraz, described by Variety as an “autobiographically inspired tale of a wealthy Jewish family in Tehran suffering under Iran’s shift to fundamentalist Islam.”

UPDATE (5/19/17): More recently, additional cases were filed by ME2 Productions, Inc.  As Troll Defense reported before, ME2 Productions, Inc. has rights in the 2016 action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, which stars Jessica Alba and Jason Stratham.  The film’s predecessor, The Mechanic, was also the subject of prior BitTorrent lawsuits.

Another case was brought in the name of I.T. Productions, LLC.  As previously reported, I.T. Productions holds rights in the 2016 film, I.T., a “techno-thriller” starring Pierce Brosnan.  I.T. Productions is an affiliate of Voltage Pictures, LLC, the instigator of countless other BitTorrent lawsuits involving film titles such as Dallas Buyers Club, Good Kill, The Cobbler, Fathers & Daugthers, Pay the Ghost, and The Hurt Locker.

UPDATE (8/10/17): Yet more cases were recently filed by UN4 Productions, Inc.  As Troll Defense has reported, UN4 Productions owns rights in the 2016 action flick Boyka: Undisputed, also known as Undisputed IV, which stars Scott Adkins as an MMA fighter grappling with the fallout from an accidental death in the ring.

As reported elsewhere, UN4 Productions, September Productions and ME2 Productions are affiliates of Nu Image / Millennium Films, which hold interests in films that have been the subject of ongoing and prior enforcement actions, including London Has Fallen, Criminal, Automata, The Humbling, The Expendables, Charlie Countryman and Bad Lieutenant.

The new lawsuits each allege copyright infringement by unknown “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software. The cases seek statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

Like other similar BitTorrent lawsuits filed in the same District Court, these more recent Southern District filings were each made by Houston attorneys Joshua S. Wyde and/or Gary J. Fischman.  Case listings with links to complaints are below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Filed: 09/14/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-02781
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-20

Filed: 09/14/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-02784
September Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-16

Filed: 09/29/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-02921
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-20

Filed: 09/29/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-02920
September Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-22

Filed: 01/17/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-00143
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-15

Filed: 01/27/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-00275
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-15

Filed: 02/09/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-00404
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-12

Filed: 02/23/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-00597
I.T. Productions, LLC v. Does 1-10

Filed: 03/04/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-00695
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-12

Filed: 03/18/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-00862
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-14

Filed: 04/18/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-01212
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-12

Filed: 06/05/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-01685
UN4 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-22

Filed: 06/12/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-01788
UN4 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-13

Filed: 06/15/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-01834
UN4 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-13

Filed: 07/11/2017
Case No. 4:17-cv-02115
UN4 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-16

Several new copyright suits were lodged in three U.S. District Courts across North Carolina by LHF Productions, Inc. and ME2 Productions, Inc., further confirming the status of their common affiliate, Nu Image / Millennium Films, as one of the most prolific “troll-style” copyright enforcers in the nation.

LHF holds copyrights to the action flick London Has Fallen, featuring Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart in an assassination plot caper. This follows many other LHF suits recently filed in other jurisdictions.

As Troll Defense reported before, ME2 Proudctions Inc. has rights in the 2016 action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, which stars Jessica Alba and Jason Stratham.  The films’s predecessor, The Mechanic, was also the subject of BitTorrent lawsuits.

As reported before, LHF and ME2 are each affiliates of Nu Image / Millennium Films, which hold interests in films that have been the subject of prior enforcement actions, including Septembers in Shiraz, Criminal, Automata, The Humbling, The Expendables, Charlie Countryman and Bad Lieutenant.

The new cases, filed in the Eastern, Middle and Western District Courts, allege copyright infringement by  scores of separate “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software.  The plaintiffs are out for statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

These complaints were signed by Cary, N.C. attorneys Kathleen M. Lynch and/or R. Matthew Van Sickle.  A case listing with links to the complaints is below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Case No. 5:16-cv-00149
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-9
Filed: 08/12/2016

Case No. 1:16-cv-01050
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-10
Filed: 08/12/2016

Case No. 5:16-cv-00739
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-10
Filed: 08/12/2016

Case No. 5:16-cv-00875
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-9
Filed: 10/31/2016

Filed: 11/03/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00881
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/03/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00202
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/04/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00885
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/04/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-00273
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/14/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00896
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/14/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00206
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/23/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-00278
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-13

Filed: 11/23/2016
Case No. 7:16-cv-00394
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-16

Filed: 11/23/2016
Case No. 4:16-cv-00279
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-16

Filed: 11/23/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00917
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/28/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00920
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 11/28/2016
Case No. 5:16-cv-00922
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Does

Filed: 02/23/2017
Case No. 5:17-cv-00099
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. John Does 1-15

Filed: 02/23/2017
Case No. 1:17-cv-00150
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. John Does 1-12

Filed: 03/10/2017
Case No. 5:17-cv-00121
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. John Does 1-5

Filed: 03/15/2017
Case No. 5:17-cv-00131
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. John Does 1-5

Filed: 06/12/2017
Case No. 5:17-cv-00283
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-11

Filed: 06/12/2017
Case No. 5:17-cv-00284
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-9

Filed: 06/12/2017
Case No. 1:17-cv-00151
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-5

Two film production companies affiliated with Nu Image/Millennium Films have filed BitTorrent copyright infringement suits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon,, continuing the status of the Oregon District as a testing ground for new film titles in BitTorrent litigation.

One group of cases were filed by ME2 Proudctions Inc., and they involve the 2016 action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, which stars Jessica Alba and Jason Stratham.  As of this posting, the film has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although some critics found it preferable to its predecessor, The Mechanic, which was also the subject of prior BitTorrent lawsuits.

Another suit was brought in the name of September Productions Inc., which holds rights in the 2015 film Septembers in Shiraz, described by Variety as an “autobiographically inspired tale of a wealthy Jewish family in Tehran suffering under Iran’s shift to fundamentalist Islam.”

The new lawsuits in Oregon allege copyright infringement by “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software. Along with generic allegations of BitTorrent-based copyright infringement, the suits seek statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

UPDATE (2/1/17): An additional action was filed by ME2 Productions.   Notably, the complaint reflects the continuation of the tactic of making passing reference to the alleged infringement of one or more additional film titles, although the rights-holders associated with such titles are not plaintiffs in the actions.  As Troll Defense has reported, ISP subscribers and Does implicated in these cases should prepare for settlement demands based on these additional, not-filed claims.

The complaints allege that each company is “an affiliate of Nu Image / Millennium Films, production companies and distributors of a notable catalog of major motion pictures.” In addition to hundreds of recent suits involving London Has Fallen, several other films distributed or produced by Nu Image/Millennium have been the subject of prior enforcement actions, including Criminal, Automata, The Humbling, The Expendables, Charlie Countryman and Bad Lieutenant.

Like many other similar lawsuits filed in the District of Oregon, these cases were filed by Salem, OR attorney Carl D. Crowell and Crowell Law. A case listing with links to the complaints is below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Filed: 08/31/2016
Case No. 3:16-cv-01746
September Productions, Inc. v. Doe-73.240.174.9

Filed: 08/29/2016
Case No. 3:16-cv-01724
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Doe-76.27.219.56

Filed: 08/29/2016
Case No. 3:16-cv-01725
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Doe-73.164.239.74

Filed: 01/28/2017
Case No. 3:17-cv-00158
ME2 Productions, Inc. v. Doe-24.21.195.166

Notorious BitTorrent plaintiff LHF Productions, Inc. has expanded its nationwide litigation campaign to Hawaii, with recent copyright lawsuits against scores of “Doe” defendants in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai’i.

LHF Productions, Inc. holds copyrights to the action flick London Has Fallen, featuring Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart in an assassination plot caper.  The Hawai’i actions follows many other LHF suits recently filed in other jurisdictions across the U.S..  As reported before, LHF is an affiliate of Nu Image / Millennium Films, which hold interests in films that have been the subject of prior enforcement actions, including Automata, The Humbling, The Expendables, Charlie Countryman and Bad Lieutenant.

The new lawsuits each allege direct and indirect copyright infringement by many unknown “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software. The cases seek statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

Like many another similar lawsuits filed in the same District Court, the LHF complaints were signed by Honolulu attorney Gregory A. Ferren.  A case listing, with links to the complaints, are below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Filed: 08/08/2016
Case No. 1:16-cv-00437
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-10

Filed: 08/08/2016
Case No. 1:16-cv-00438
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-15

Filed: 08/08/2016
Case No. 1:16-cv-00439
LHF Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-13

Two new copyright actions were filed the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington by CELL Film Holdings, LLC, which claims copyrights to the John Cusack/Samuel L. Jackson zombie-themed movie Cell.

As noted by Troll Defense in a post on similar Oregon CELL Film Holdings cases, Cell is based on a 2006 Stephen King novel of the same title about a signal sent out over the global cell phone network that transforms every cell phone user into a mindless killer.

CELL Film Holdings is an affiliate of Benaroya Pictures.  As noted in a prior Troll Defense post regarding affiliated film Queen of the Desert, Benaroya Pictures was founded by Michael Benaroya, son of a Seattle real-estate mogul, who began funding films in 2009, including past titles such as “New York, I Love You,” “The Romantics,” “Catch .44,” “Margin Call” and “The Words.”  As predicted then, the Cell lawsuits confirm Benaroya’s foray into a national, multi-title “troll-style” lawsuit campaign.

The new Cell lawsuits in the Western District allege copyright infringement by 21 “Doe” parties through their use of BitTorrent file-sharing software. Along with generic allegations of BitTorrent-based copyright infringement, the suits seek statutory damages pursuant to the Copyright Act, attorney’s fees and costs, and an injunction against further infringement.

Like many other similar lawsuits filed in the Western District, these complaints were signed by attorney David A. Lowe of Lowe Graham Jones PLLC. A case listing with links to the complaints is below.

Parties and subscribers receiving ISP notices of these actions can contact attorney Benjamin Justus for a free consultation regarding possible options.

Filed: 07/15/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01091 
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-11

Filed: 07/29/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01180
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-10

Filed: 10/21/2016
Case No. 2:16-cv-01649
CELL Film Holdings, LLC v. Does 1-10