
Beneficiary of Fake DMCA:
Leonardo Michael aka Sean Innis
Contact Info:
- Address: Bali, Indonesia
- Website: www.candidarelease.com
Possible Infringements:
- Perjury, Impersonation, Identity-theft, Misrepresentation
DMCA Report:
Fake Link/Website Used:
- http://leonardomichaelfraud.weebly.com/leonardo-michael-aka-sean-innis-i-worked-for-sean-innis-as-his-film-editor-for-the-documentary-eternal-youth—he-never-paid-me-stole-my-computer-and-assaulted-me-seminyak-bali-internet.html
- https://leonardomichael2012.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/leonardo-michael-is-the-director-of-upcoming-documentary-film-eternal-youth/
- http://leonardomichaelfraud.weebly.com/journal/leonardo-michael-aka-sean-innis-i-worked-for-sean-innis-as-his-film-editor-for-the-documentary-eternal-youth-he-never-paid-me-stole-my-computer-and-assaulted-me-seminyak-bali-internet
Submitted by:
- James Coleman
- Leonardo Michael
- Harry Sadu
Date of Submission:
- February 28, 2017
- April 22, 2017
- February 19, 2017
ANALYZING THE FAKE DMCA
Let’s analyze the fake DMCA notice –
So if we are to believe this copyright notice, submitted on March 22, 2017, someone published the article from a blog owned by one ‘Smith Johnson’s Blog’ on RipoffReport.com.
However, there are some gaping holes in this claim.
The blog at Weebly.com was set up on 19th March, 2017. Just 3 days prior to filing the DMCA. Thankfully, Weebly.com cooperates in such investigations as they have done in the past and although they declined to provide the user information, they did reveal the creation date for the blog.
Now let’s have a look at blog itself and see how content is planted to appear as if the blog was active since years –
These scammers are not smart. Not at all. Here’s a blog entry at https://smithjohnson1.weebly.com/blog/smith-johnson-how-us-news-calculated-the-2017-best-colleges-rankings . The date of publication is quoted as 15th Nov, 2012. However, unless the blogger has a time machine, it can not forsee the future and write about – “How U.S. News Calculated the 2017 Best Colleges Rankings”
Here’s another ‘planted’ article for the purpose of filing another fake DMCA –
Lo and behold, here it is – https://lumendatabase.org/notices/14112426 . Right on time. Submitted on 27nd March 2017, just 8 days after launching the blog.
SO WHAT WERE THEY TRYING TO HIDE ?
It is the same old story. Leonardo Michael aka Sean Innis has negative reviews at Ripoff Report. They rank high on Google and hurts his reputation as well as business.
And Leonardo Michael aka Sean Innis did no good to his cause by attempting a fraudulent method to confront these allegations. Now, we’re not so sure these allegations are fake.
Interesting Links:
WHAT IS A FAKE DMCA AND WHY ARE WE LISTED HERE ?
Soon after we published the first set of our investigation reports on fake DMCAs, we managed to generate interest from online media such as Techdirt, Adweek and Huffington Post. Some of the key stories included our revelations on Torrence Boone , MoneyLife.in, Julia Scelfo and aReputation. We also shared unpublished data and information with 3 different law agencies who looked into this scam.
And we got results. We dented this fake DMCA industry and made sure we act as deterrent to the rogue reputation firms indulged in these criminal practices. Here are some of the outcomes and changes we made possible with the help of several other citizen lawyers and agencies –
- Ripoff Report wipes out Google (fake) Removals with a stroke of genius ! Thank you Ed – at webactivism.com
- Court finds evidence of ‘fraud on the Court’ in one of the missing-defendant libel takedown cases – at washingtonpost.com
- Default judgment aimed at deindexing apparently accurate information about person convicted of sex offense – at washingtonpost.com
- Panic and desperation getting the better of rogue reputation services – at webactivism.com
- Google still deindexing some material found by courts to be defamatory — but it’s being more skeptical – at washingtonpost.com
- Google Apparently No Longer Humoring Court Orders To Delist Defamatory Content – at techdirt.com
- Paul Levy Discovers Head Of Reputation Management Company Signed Off On Forged/Fraudulent Court Docs – at techdirt.com
- Filing Bogus Lawsuits As Part Of A ‘Reputation Management’ Strategy Costs Firm $71,000 – at techdirt.com
- Richart Ruddie Settles anti-SLAPP Claims, Makes Restitution; but the Guilty Companies Remain Unpunished – at typepad.com
- Who Filed Fake Copyright Infringement Complaints Against AgencySpy? – at adweek.com
- The Dark Art of Fake DMCA Takedown Requests – at huffingtonpost.com
Fake Fraudulent DMCA might seem inconspicuous, until its you at the receiving end of this crime. This is not a prank. This is not an inconvenience. This is not random. These fake DMCA cases are calculated criminal schemes targeting very specific and rather important information/content. These hitjobs are usually against media, in order to help their clients hide important information from public’s eye, all in the name of Reputation Management. Millions of dollars are spent doing this, and if no one wants to bring this topic to the fore, we will.
Our team will not constantly monitor and publish these reports on a DAILY basis without fail. And we do not plan to publish and forget. We will take constructive steps in order to expose the faces behind this scam, and to try and undo the damages. AND IF YOU INDEED PART OF THIS SCAM, WE WILL ENSURE THAT YOU GET WHAT’S COMING YOUR WAY.
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