File “Sharing” Costs culprit 250K

A man alleged to be one of the main online distributors of stolen gay pornographic movies has agreed to pay $250,000 in copyright infringement damages, according to a stipulation filed in California federal court.

Plaintiff Liberty Media Holdings LLC says Tyler Schwaller uploaded films produced by the Corbin Fisher studio, a Liberty affiliate, to file-sharing networks.

”Mr. Schwaller is not merely one of many who steal the plaintiff’s copyrighted work online — Mr. Schwaller is one of the primary sources of the stolen Corbin Fisher works circulating on the Internet,” according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Pursuant to a joint motion for entry of consent judgment filed four days after the complaint was filed, Schwaller agreed with the allegation that he illegally distributed Corbin Fisher films.

The parties estimated that Liberty suffered at least $500,000 in damages, but they stipulated that Schwaller would pay the company half that amount.

The consent judgment provides that the $250,000 total can be reduced if Schwaller makes regular payments on a schedule to be determined at a later date and does not engage in any further sharing of Liberty’s content or “anyone else’s.”

Schwaller also agreed to be permanently enjoined from further infringement of any of Liberty’s trademarks or copyrights.

Liberty Media Holdings LLC v. Schwaller, No. 10-CV-2625-LAB, stipulation of settlement filed (S.D. Cal., San Diego Dec. 24, 2010).

Looks like RemoveYourContent has the right idea, go after the repeat offenders.