Adult-film firm claims Michigan residents stole movies online & shared on BitTorrent

[Len]

The makers of "high-end" adult movies are trying to find out who has been stealing their motion pictures.

Strike 3 Holdings LLC has filed seven federal lawsuits in the Western District of Michigan in an effort to identify IP addresses of those stealing its movies.

"Defendant is, in a word, stealing these works on a grand scale," Shelby Township attorney Joel Bernier wrote in one of the complaints.

Strike 3's movies, distributed by Blacked, Tushy and Vixen adult websites and DVDs, are "produced with a Hollywood style budget and quality," and have won many awards, Bernier said.

"One of Strike 3's owners, two-time director of the year Greg Lansky, has been dubbed the adult film industry's 'answer to Steven Spielberg,'" the lawsuit said.

Three of the "John Doe" defendants live in Grand Rapids. Others are in Bellevue, Big Rapids, Kalamazoo and Rapid City in Kalkaska County, lawsuits said.

Erotic films producer says West Michigan residents illegally share 'Girly Girls,' other movies

The movies are allegedly being shared on BitTorrent file-distribution network, a peer-to-peer file sharing system used to distribute large amounts of data such as digital movie files.

BitTorrent breaks a file into small pieces, which are exchanged with other users. Once all of the pieces of the movies are downloaded, they are "automatically reassembled," and the movie is ready for viewing, the lawsuit said.

Strike 3 used IP address technology by Maxmind Inc. to trace the IP address to a physical address, and wants the user's internet server provider to identify the user.

The company wants users to be ordered to stop infringing on its copyrighted works, delete digital files of its property and pay damages and attorney fees.

Strike 3 says its subscription-based websites are among the highest adult-content sites in the world.

"Strike 3's motion pictures have had positive global impact, leading more adult studios to invest in better content, higher pay for performers, and to treat each performer with respect and like an artist."