Wednesday,  July 11, 2012 • Vol. 12--No. 363 • 23 of 27 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 22)

• The man was widely named in the British media but police would not confirm his identity.
• ___

Porn companies sue illegal downloaders, seek settlements; Ky. woman caught in web sues back

• LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- It's a common tactic for pornography producers trying to protect their product from online piracy: They sue unknown "John Does" who illegally download movies, then go to Internet providers to learn their true identities and collect.
• Hundreds of porn companies have filed thousands of lawsuits across the country in recent years. Often, representatives will call up the defendants, offering quick settlements of $
1,000 or $5,000 to avoid facing $150,000 claims and the embarrass

ment of being publicly outed.
• Some defendants in the lawsuits are pushing back, arguing that they're being squeezed for quick settlements even when they claim to have never downloaded anything.
• A Kentucky woman, Jennifer Barker, is suing the five companies that targeted her and is seeking class-action status to hold the companies accountable for harassing calls for settlements.
• The five companies, out of California and London, have filed more than 500 lawsuits in 17 states against John and Jane Does in recent years.
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Wis. Supreme Court to rule in case pitting large farm against town worried about water quality

• MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Wednesday in a case in which a small town with three times as many cows as people is seeking greater authority to protect its water supply.
• Communities throughout the rural Midwest have been keeping an eye on the lawsuit as they struggle to deal with the expansion of so-called factory farms. States throughout the farm belt have seen big farms get bigger as the agriculture industry continues to consolidate.
• The Wisconsin lawsuit was filed by Magnolia, a town of 1,000 residents seeking

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