MPAA Lawsuit Target LokiTorrent Fights Back   - 2,216 Views, 1 Comment

LokiTorrent, one of the latest targets of the Motion Picture Association of America’s legal crackdown on filesharing sites using the BitTorrent technology to allow users to download copyrighted movies, has vowed to fight the lawsuit, and is asking for donations to a legal fund to help defray an estimated $30,000 per month in legal fees.

According to a story on news.com, LokiTorrent offered in excess of 30,000 files to its users as recently as October of this year.

In response to the lawsuit by the MPAA, LokiTorrent posted a copy of the Cease and Desist letter from the MPAA, along with a plea for donations for the legal fund.

“If you’ve ever benefitted from this site or file-sharing in general, now is the time to show your support” says the message on the LokiTorrent site. It goes on to say that they are “looking at a cost of $30K per month in fees. Please don’t think that reaching 100% will ensure an open and shut case, as we all know the tactics of the MPAA. Recent estimates by attorneys are looking at 2-3 times this amount in a full-on battle. Help us fight back and ensure your right to share doesn’t end here”

According to a chart on the site, they have already collected more than $21,000 towards their $30,000 goal for this month.

While opponents of the file-sharing sites, such as the MPAA, say that such systems invite and lead to abuse and infringment of intellectual property rights, advocates say that the system itself has legitimate and practical uses, and that one should go after the users who are guilty of the wrong acts, not the system itself.