Zuffa sues NY man for alleged pirating of 141 UFC PPVs

The New York Post first reported that a New York man is being sued by Zuffa for alleged copyright infringement for pirating, uploading and distributing 141 UFC PPVs.

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Zuffa is suing Steven Messina and assorted unnamed individuals for copyright infringement among other causes of action as it relates to pirating UFC PPVs and uploading them to a web site for viewing.  Zuffa alleges that the defendants received a financial benefit as a result of uploading the pirate PPVs.

Zuffa is asking for statutory penalties of $150,000 for each separate act of copyright infringement, up to $110,000 for each of the defendants’ use of UFC content, up to 60,000 for intercepting UFC content, attorney fees and unspecified punitive damages.

Adding up all the penalties, Zuffa would request $32 million plus attorney fees and punitive damages from the New York resident which the New York Post reports lives with his parents.

The lawsuit can be seen here (via MMA Junkie).

Payout Perspective:

First thing is first.  Forget about anyone getting $32 million.  Even if the defendant did not show up and a judgment was entered in against him, Zuffa would still have to find this guy’s assets to collect.  The fact he lives in the basement of his parents’ house should tell you it is not going to get it.  So, it’s merely a number to intimidate.  As for the story that the guy lives with his parents, it’s sad and not relevant to his alleged wrongdoing.

Does this make people hate Zuffa because it is suing someone allegedly stealing its PPVs?  It should not but sentiment seems to be that this is a bad move for the UFC. Do some UFC fans want the option of stealing the occasional PPV when they don’t want to pay the $55 and suing these guys eliminates the option?  Zuffa is protecting its copyright and while it may be overreaching in some cases, the accused perpetrator did more than just stream a PPV illegally.

MMA Payout will keep you posted.