8 Studios Allege That ‘Mass’ Infringer Is 'Evading Service' of Their Complaint
Eight content studios seek leave to serve their March 27 infringement complaint on William Freemon by alternative means and seek extra time to do so, said the studios’ brief Wednesday (docket 3:24-cv-00733) in U.S. District Court for Northern Texas in Dallas in support of their motion. The studios allege that Freemon is a “mass” content pirate who operates “an extensive and commercially scaled network” of illegal streaming services that offer unauthorized access to live channels and VOD streams of copyrighted movies and TV shows (see 2403280006). The plaintiffs are Amazon, Columbia Pictures, Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal City Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment. Freemon’s co-defendants are the company and website domains that he controls and operates, said the studios’ brief. Freemon knows that he’s responsible for infringing the studios’ copyrighted movies and TV shows on a “massive scale,” it said. When the studio plaintiffs tried to resolve the case outside of court, Freemon refused to cooperate and “dubiously claimed” to have transferred the domains, “when all evidence establishes he did not,” it said. Now that the studios have brought their lawsuit, he “is evading service,” it said. The plaintiffs request a court order that service of the complaint may be made on the defendants by “alternative means of leaving it at the front door of Freemon’s residence” in Dallas, or alternatively, by electronically transmitting copies to the defendants, “including each of the website domains,” it said. The studios tried unsuccessfully to serve the defendants seven times at Freemon’s home, said the brief. The studios’ counsel also tried to serve Freemon through his former attorney, but to no avail, it said. Counsel also emailed Freemon the complaint directly to his personal email addresses, but he did not respond, it said. The plaintiffs ask that the court extend their time to serve the defendants to 30 days after the entry of an order ruling on their motion, it said.