Monday, October 28, 2013

ABA Journal Publishes Article About Revenge Pornography War

ABA Journal, the scholarly publication of the American Bar Association, has published an in-depth article in their November 2013 issue that delves into the phenomenon of revenge pornography.  It is available here.

The journalist interviewed me at length and quoted me in the article:
Kyle Bristow, an associate with Romanzi Atnip in Waterford, Mich., encourages his revenge porn clients to register copyrights in their pictures—but he hasn’t needed to actually sue. So far, he says, the demand letter he sends to a site has been adequate to get the pictures taken down. And staying out of court is often a goal for his clients, Bristow says. “When women file suit, they bring unwanted attention to their situation, and oftentimes these websites will retaliate by posting images to other websites,” he says.
* * *
The lack of potential recovery doesn’t stop some lawyers from suing. Indeed, Bristow says he would enjoy collecting from this kind of defendant.
“I would absolutely enjoy going after their wages and tax refunds and what would otherwise be permitted by law,” he says. “Plus, if they were ever sued, it would be a high-profile case and they would be exposed as the repugnant individuals that they are.”