A judge has refused a motion to have the 27 cases of suspected illegal file sharing brought forward by controversial law firm ACS:Law dropped.

ACS:Law had used IP information to obtain further data from ISPs, which the firm then used to contact the owner of a broadband connection, accusing them of making illegal downloads and threatening to take them to court unless they pay a fee.

The law firm has already seen 8 previous cases thrown out by the courts, and had tried to drop the other 27 but Judge Birss QC rejected the proposal after discovering some "unusual features" in the lawsuits.

Owner Andrew Crossley has failed to attend the hearing on Tuesday after a family accident. Due to his absence, the judge has moved the hearing to 24 January.

A reporter present during the hearing told Torrent Freak: ?Crossley looks in serious trouble, both defence barristers are seeking all costs, including ?wasted costs? and order to show ?due cause? both of which require serious misconduct in order to be awardable; prima facie case put forward on that basis.?
Daniel Reviewed by Daniel on . ACS:Law Fails To Get File-Sharing Cases Dropped http://cdn.itproportal.com/photos/piracy-icon-2_display.jpg A judge has refused a motion to have the 27 cases of suspected illegal file sharing brought forward by controversial law firm ACS:Law dropped. ACS:Law had used IP information to obtain further data from ISPs, which the firm then used to contact the owner of a broadband connection, accusing them of making illegal downloads and threatening to take them to court unless they pay a fee. The law firm has already seen 8 previous Rating: 5