Vondran Legal®—Copyright Defense Law Firm—Flava Works appears at it again with a mass copyright infringement filing to be filed this month in the Northern District of Illinois.  If you received a subpoena or notice of the lawsuit, call us now to discuss with one of our copyright lawyers. We are at (877) 276-5084.  We have defended well over 1,000 copyright infringement actions since 2024.

Introduction/Case Details

The case involves Gay-Torrents.org websites—a private, invite-only BitTorrent site with over 19,500 registered users where Plaintiff alleges systematic distribution of their copyrighted content (adult movies) since at least as early as 2009. 

• Scale: There are 125+ named defendants—the site owner and operators, the primary uploader (who they claim was identified through forensic watermark and ISP data), and dozens of other named and "John Doe" downloaders/seeders identified by username.

• Seven counts identified: Direct infringement, contributory infringement, vicarious infringement, inducement, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy.

• TRO / Asset Freeze: We are seeking an ex parte TRO to freeze the site's payment accounts and associated entity to prevent asset dissipation before they can respond.

• Alleged forum evidence: "TheMan" allegedly publicly posted that Flava's enforcement was "straight-up extortion" and encouraged other users to ignore Flava's demands—in writing, on the site's own forum. The administrator is alleged to have doubled down in writing days later. Flava asserts this is strong willful infringement evidence supporting up to $150,000 per work in statutory damages.  See my video on copyright infringement damages.

• Payment fraud angle: Flava alleges the site deliberately routes payments through a shell company and instructs users that nothing gay/adult/torrent-related will appear on their billing statements — consciousness of guilt baked right in per Flava.

Where things stand now:

Cease and desist letters have been sent out to several John Doe defendants with a settlement deadline of March 25. Anyone who doesn't resolve before will be added to the complaint per Flava.  If you receive a cease and desist notice with a demand to pay, the best bet is to discuss it with copyright legal counsel who can advise you on your options and represent you in the case.

Contact Vondran Legal®—Experienced in Flava Works Litigation and Settlements

We can be reached at (877) 276-5084, or you can fill out the contact form on the right side of this page.