Dallas – from www.dmwmedia.com – An adult video production company has dropped its lawsuit against 670 alleged downloaders of its films.

Mick Haig Productions filed the suit in September 2010 in federal court in Texas, alleging the 670 had downloaded the film “Der Gute Onkel.”

Digital civil liberties groups the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Citizen took the defendants’ case, and asked the court to disallow subpoenas seeking the identities of the 670 accused from their Internet service providers — arguing many were filed in the wrong jurisdiction, and failed to meet constitutional standards for obtaining identifying information.

“When adult film companies launch these cases, there is the added pressure of embarrassment associated with pornography, which can convince those ensnared in the suits to quickly pay what’s demanded of them, whether or not they have legitimate defenses. That’s why it’s so important to make sure the process is fair,” said EFF’s Corynne McSherry.

“Rather than choosing competent local counsel experienced in intellectual property law, the Court appointed a trio of attorneys renowned for defending internet piracy and renowned for their general disregard for intellectual property law,” Mick Haig Productions said in its notice of dismissal.

“Now, four months after the initial filing of this case, with little chance of discovery in sight, Plaintiff feels it has lost any meaningful opportunity to pursue justice in this matter.”

The case against the defendants was dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning the company cannot re-file copyright claims against them at a later time.