9 Apr – Hollywood producer Voltage Pictures' company Dallas Buyers Club LLC, which owns the rights to the 2013 Academy Award-winning film, "Dallas Buyers Club", is going after Internet users who have illegally downloaded and distributed the film online. Over 500 Internet users in Singapore now risk getting sued for the illegal act, The Strait Times reports, with the company looking to collect compensation for the damages caused by the illegal downloading and sharing. Letters were issued over the weekend to the users, who allegedly shared the movie between 2 April and 27 May last year. The Internet protocol (IP) addresses were identified to be subscribers of Singapore's three major Internet service providers (ISPs) Singtel, StarHub and M1.
Dallas Buyers Club LLC has issued orders for the ISPs to release the subscribers' identities. However, things might not be that simple, lawyer Bryan Tan explain it "needs to establish a link between an impugned IP address to a person." The IP address could be registered under a person who is not responsible for the illegal sharing, as the Internet connection to a certain IP address can be used and shared by more than one individual, such as in families. Previously, Dallas Buyers Club LLC made its round in the United States, where illegal downloaders are liable for damages of up to USD150,000 unless settlement fees of up to USD7,000 are paid; before making its way to Australia, where about 5,000 people faced similar charges. Currently, there are no such legal letters issued in Malaysia. However, Internet users are now walking on eggshells just in case the Dallas Buyers Club LLC comes knocking.