The suits, all filed Monday at U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., furthers the monetization campaign that scores of adult companies have waged recently.
In the suit, Tru Filth alone sued 5,011, Third World Media seeks restitution from 1,568, Devil's Films filed against 1,257 and Elegant Angel (Patrick Collins Inc.) sued 1,219.
All of the claims were brought on by Santa Clara, Calif.-based Copyright Enforcement Group (CEG), which filed the John Doe suits on behalf of the studios.
CEG distributed DMCA notices with a modest settlement offer to all Does' Internet service providers named in the suit and extended a grace period for individuals to contact CEG or settle online, the company said. Individuals that have yet to make contact or settle online are named in the suit.
"CEG has pioneered a new settlement model that is fair and reasonable for all parties involved while embracing the customer," said Dale Spislander, a representative for CEG.
Scott Esposito, president of Tru Filth, said his studio had the largest number of Does — 5,011 — of the four suits because of the heavily pirated celebrity sex tape "Danielle Staub Raw."
"Online piracy isn't going away anytime soon, ergo we're forced to utilize the most effective methods available to mitigate losses," said Scott Esposito, president of Tru Filth.
Eric Gutterman of Devil's Films said that "advancements in technology over the past several years have allowed the accurate and equitable identification of folks stealing my studio's movies."
Devil's Films is holding 1,257 Does accountable for the title, "Don't Tell My Wife I Assfucked The Babysitter."
In the other suits, CEG filed 1,219 Does on behalf of Elegant Angel for the title "Real Female Orgasms #8" and Third World Media sued 1,568 Does for "Miss Big Ass Brazil #4."
