
US Marshals turned loose to collect $63,720.80 from Righthaven - evo_9
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/us-marshals-turned-loose-to-collect-6372080-from-righthaven.ars
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vijayr
Honest question - will this change anything? I mean, they lost, they'll
probably pay up the fine and move on, no? What'll stop them from
suing/trolling someone else in future, without any basis?

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tomjen3
As if that is going to do anything. What we need to do is to imprison those
behind it or at least disbar their lawyers. That will put a stop to it right
now.

You shouldn't be allowed to be a non practicing entity unless you foot the
bill for the other guys lawyers or you personally invented it (not through a
company) and make less than, say, $35k/year so the small time inventor can get
started.

A patent shouldn't allow you to keep a product from the market but it should
allow you to charge a premium for a limited time to reclaim the investment you
made during the development.

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cheald
> "Instead, it filed a flurry of appeals alleging (among other things) that
> having to pay the money would involve "the very real threat of being forced
> out of business or being forced to seek protection through bankruptcy."

Aww, poor baby. I feel so bad for them. Really, I do.

Copyright trolling people into financial ruin doesn't look so hot when it
happens to you, I guess.

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sliverstorm
Perhaps decisions like this will make other copyright trolls think a little
harder about their actions. Up until recently, they got to go about their
business with impunity- no risk in failure, and huge payoff in success. U.S.
Marshalls... as 4chan might say, 'sh*t just got real'.

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pseudonym
And of course it won't amount to anything. If the company goes into bankruptcy
and "disappears", is there any legitimate recourse, or is Randazza just up a
creek?

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wtallis
I think it's too late for bankruptcy protection. A writ of execution like this
authorizes the US Marshals to immediately withdraw the necessary funds from
Righthaven's accounts, or to seize and auction any other assets. If Righthaven
has already hidden those assets, it may make things more difficult, but I get
the feeling that the judge in this case will want to find a way to punish the
people behind Righthaven.

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ars
It's too late for chapter 11 bankruptcy, but not for chapter 7. And they are
virtually guaranteed to go into chapter 7. A judge will allocate any remaining
assets, and that will be all.

Randazza will not be able to collect more than that, although a judge may be
able to reverse some salary and payments Righthaven has made in the last few
months.

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gte910h
Unless they ran the company incorrectly (in certain ways), in which case the
veil may be pierced.

