5 Live Investigates

5 live Investigates exposes the law firms making a mint by accusing innocent people of illegal downloading. As the entertainment industry cracked down on illegal file-sharing, an opportunity was spotted by law firms who sent tens of thousands of speculative letters to people claiming they had illegally downloaded music and pornographic films. The fear of having to fight such an embarrassing claim led many individuals to pay a fine, to make the problem go away. A recent court case has revealed one company has made up to £1 million from the scam, and as their operation is closed down, others are gearing up to step into their wake. 5 live Investigates speaks to former employees about the way these law firms operate - as well as those people wrongly accused of file-sharing - and tells the story of how an international community of hackers helped bring down the biggest player in this market. However, rather than clamp down on this problem, critics say the government's new Digital Economy Act - hastily pas