Do You Think the Companies that have settled

[Carrie]

If it weren't for the handing out of personal information which I'm against in nearly any situation, this wouldn't really be such an issue for me.

I can understand not having the money for an expensive patent lawyer and thinking it's either do this, or pay *huge* fines for past "infringement" over the years. Imagine the amateurs who are getting letters. I always tend to think of them first whenever something comes down that will "affect" the industry.
Some of these people really *do* feel that this is the best decision for their business, especially if it gets rid of past fines and if they can probably skip the $1500 too. And then if the patents are invalidated... cool. It's all over. But if the patents aren't, they're not facing a massive bill of thousands upon thousands of dollars that they don't have.
I can understand that.

I know the companies like CECash wouldn't have to worry about a few thousand dollars - but in the same vein, they'd have to worry about *millions* of dollars. Just as they're larger, the fines would be larger.
It's covering your ass, and that's one thing I always chant... CYA, baby.

However, I just cannot understand nor support giving out information that you've been entrusted with. The companies that did this - just how much info did they hand over? Their entire database, including social security numbers and EINs? The amounts that each webmaster has been paid? The exact number of videos/photo sets that each webmaster purchased? Or was it *only* names and addresses? Doesn't really matter to me - it's a breach of trust.
If they *did* hand over complete databases with SS#'s and EINs then I think that might violate some right to privacy somewhere - god I would hope so, at least.

I don't need any of the companies listed on my Acacia letter. I don't send traffic to them anyway for my own personal reasons.

It's the ones that *aren't* listed on the letter that have me wondering.