COPYRIGHT GROUP BEGINS SUING DOWNLOADERS

Millions of people who heretofore have seen no reason for securing their wi-fi routers with a password may now think twice about not doing so after thousands of them have received notices from lawyers for the U.S. Copyright Group (USCG) that they are being sued for downloading copyrighted movies illegally. The group has already filed over 5,000 complaints on behalf of the producers of the films Far Cry, Call of the Wild 3D, and — most recently — Academy Award winner The Hurt Locker. On Monday, the CBS-owned technology news website CNET.com published a photograph of 64-year-old Jon Harrison of Irving, TX holding a letter from the law firm Dunlap Grubb Weaver threatening legal action for his alleged piracy. Presumably Harrison’s name was provided by his Internet Service Provider after the USCG determined that someone using his IP address had illegally downloaded a movie. Harrison told CNET that his router is unsecured and that he has no idea who may have engaged in the piracy.