Leaving Wi-Fi Connections 'Open' Can Be Costly

HAMILTON, Ohio — Is leaving your Wi-Fi connection open "negligent"?

More attorneys are saying yes, and some have even added negligence claims to BitTorrent suits that allege poached content.

One defendant named in a recent BitTorrent suit recently was ordered to pay $10,401 despite statements that he never downloaded or uploaded any of the porn studio's content. In the judgment, he acknowledged his negligence for not securing his connection.

That case, among others, is a cautionary tale for those who don't lock down their connections to the outside world, or even inside their home or office.

Take, for instance, the case of Doe No. 605, who is defending a porn BitTorrent copyright claim with 2,009 other defendants in a claim brought on by adult studio Third Degree Films.

Last week, Doe No. 605 asked a federal judge to quash a subpoena for his identity because he said he had no control over who accessed his Internet connection to steal content inside his home.

Doe No. 605 said that other roommates in his Ohio three-story home could easily been able to have access and download copyright-protected porn.

"The likelihood that an individual, other than Doe No. 605, infringed plaintiff’s copyrights is too great to support any correlation between Doe No. 605 and the alleged violation that plaintiff seeks to prove," Doe's motion to quash brief said.

But that defense is horse manure, some attorneys say.

"I've seen this argument for a motion to quash time and time again," adult industry attorney Marc Randazza told XBIZ. "The attorney defending the Doe simply is looking for a guilty party, and it's not the defendant."

Randazza has compiled a paper (available below) titled "Why Negligence in Torrent Cases?" that explores the risks associated with not locking down your Wi-Fi connection.

"The vast majority of Americans recognize that leaving their Wi-Fi connection open is foolhardy and likely to lead to trouble," Randazza says. "I have heard other lawyers compare leaving your Wi-Fi open to leaving a loaded gun lying around. I think comparing open Wi-Fi to a loaded gun is overly melodramatic and hysterical.

"However, the point is well taken — you are leaving the instrumentality of an illegal act out there for anyone to use."

View "Why Negligence in Torrent Cases?"

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

NATS Launches Integrated Content Management System

Too Much Media (TMM) has rolled out an integrated, no-charge Content Management System (CMS) to its NATS platform.

AEBN Reveals Avery Lust as Top Trans Star for Q3 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the third quarter of 2025, with Avery Lust landing atop the leaderboard.

FSC: California's Device-Based AV Law Does Not Apply to Adult

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out an advisory today explaining that California's new device-based age verification law does not apply to adult websites.

Reena Sky Launches New Paysite

Reena Sky has launched her new official paysite, ILoveReenaSky.com.

NextGen Payment Joins ASACP as Corporate Sponsor

NextGen Payment has signed on as the latest corporate sponsor for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

Lauren Phillips, Derek Kage Cap AEBN's Top Stars for 3rd Quarter of 2025

AEBN has revealed its most popular performers in straight and gay theaters for the third quarter of 2025.

XBIZ 2026 Conference to Debut All-New Company Lounges, Community Track

The event website for XBIZ 2026 is now live, unveiling details for North America’s largest adult industry conference, including two all-new show features: Company Lounges and a Community Track.

Mymember.site Integrates VR Functionality

Mymember.site has added virtual reality playback capability to its website management platform.

Texas Patti to Launch Fetish Platform 'EmpireDom'

Performer and content creator Texas Patti is launching a new platform for doms and fetish creators, EmpireDom.com.

Ohio AG Threatens Action Against 'Major' Adult Sites Over AV Law

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his office is sending "notice of violation" letters to 19 adult websites for failure to comply with the state's recently enacted age verification law.

Show More