Popcorn Time lawsuits continue as 16 are sued for watching Survivor

The "Popcorn Time" app was launched in 2014 as a kind of "BitTorrent for dummies" with a simple Netflix-style interface for viewing movies. But now with a second lawsuit filed against users of the app, it looks like 16 as-yet-anonymous watchers may soon need a primer on "mass copyright suits for dummies."

The lawsuit (PDF), entitled Survivor Productions Inc. v. Anonymous Users of Popcorn Time (Does 1-16), targets 16 Comcast subscribers who allegedly used the app to watch Survivor—not the reality series, but a thriller starring Pierce Brosnan released earlier this year.

Lawsuits over BitTorrent piracy of non-pornographic content are rare to begin with. Survivor Productions now joins Voltage Pictures in being one of just a few movie studios willing to pursue individual downloaders over copyright claims.

"The fight against counterfeiting and piracy are critical issues of importance to the both the United States of America and the State of Oregon," states the complaint. "Popcorn Time exists for one purpose and one purpose only: to steal copyrighted content."

The complaint includes warnings from the Popcorn Time software as exhibits, and it notes that the movie Survivor was promoted to users of the app.

The Survivor Productions lawsuit is nearly identical to another lawsuit against Popcorn Time users filed four days earlier over the Adam Sandler movie The Cobbler. Both were filed by the same attorney, Oregon-based practitioner Carl Crowell.

In an earlier e-mail interview with Ars, Crowell said his client does not seek more than the statutory minimum for damages, which is $750. "The goal is to deter infringement," he said.

In addition to the Popcorn Time lawsuit, Survivor Productions filed 12 lawsuits against individual users who allegedly used standard BitTorrent technology to get their copies. The suits were filed between July 13 and August 21.