The tide is turning against copyright troll Righthaven’s infringement shakedown business model. Already slammed in Nevada, here’s the latest from Colorado — the judge “has now put all of Righthaven’s lawsuits in that state on hold, saying that he wants to make sure Righthaven actually has standing to bring the suit.”
If Righthaven has simply been buying the right to sue and no other rights, there’s a good chance based on judicial precedent that the company lacks standing to file any of these cases. Should this simply be an arrangement where Righthaven and the copyright owners split revenues 50/50, then Righthaven is really nothing more than a de facto law firm grabbing a 50% contingency fee…something that state bars will be dealing with in addition the courts.
As if news couldn’t get any worse for the copyright troll, it appears that a class action law suit has been filed by bloggers against Righthaven alleging the company has engaged in unfair practices. There’s blood in the water and one shouldn’t be surprised to see this as the beginning of the end for Righthaven. Frankly, it’s a wonder the copyright owners haven’t been running for the hills on these deals. Whatever profit was to be made is exceeded by the damage being caused to their reputations.
As for Righthaven, the copyright troll will need more than a good Internet attorney to bail it out of this mess.