Andre Yoskowitz
26 Feb 2011 15:36
FileSoup admins ‘TheGeeker’ and ‘Snookered’ are now free, after the prosecution in their file-sharing case dropped the charges.
The site was founded in 2003 in the UK, and remains one of the longest standing torrent communities. With the decision, it is now the second time UK-based torrent site admins have walked free, following the case of OiNK owner Alan Ellis last year.
In 2009, UK authorities and the anti-piracy outfit Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) raided the homes of the admins, and both were eventually arrested.
The following summer, both were charged with conspiracy to infringe copyright.
Just like in the Ellis case, the evidence was collected only by FACT, with the police not carrying out any independent investigations. The solicitors for the new case were the same from the OiNK trial and they brought up the lack of independent investigation to the Court, which agreed with them on at least two issues.
TorrentFreak says those issues were "whether to prosecute FileSoup as a business or not and whether the copyright holder had caused prejudice."
Because those questions could not be answered the prosecution decided to drop the criminal case. There may be a civil suit coming, however.
FACT is said to have spent almost 50,000 pounds on the case.