Atari has dropped anti-piracy solicitors Davenport Lyons as its agents in trying to prosecute illegal file sharers.

The company is remaining quiet on exact details, but it has indirectly confirmed the news with a statement that reads, "In relation to file sharing, our position is that we always retain and reserve the right to protect our intellectual property from illegal copying and piracy. Whilst we are no longer working with Davenport Lyons, we continue to work with legal advisers to protect our rights."

This comes not long after Atari ditched a case against a middle-aged Scottish couple, the Murdochs, accused (apparently unjustly) of illegally sharing Race 07, which it distributed on behalf of Simbin. The case was an embarrassment for both Atari and Davenport Lyons.

The lawyers recently made a song and dance about having secured five 'top' publishers as clients in its crusade against file sharing. Of the five, only Atari and Codemasters are really of note and now one of them has gone.

Davenport Lyons has been criticised by the online community for its approach to pursuing alleged file sharers. It has been suggested that inaccuracies in the technology it uses (courtesy of Swiss firm Logistep) for tracking illegal file sharers will prevent it ever following a case as far as court. The false accusation of the Murdochs adds a lot of weight to that argument.

Michael Coyle, a solicitor from the firm Lawdit, which represents some 300 people accused of illegal file sharing by Davenport Lyons, seemed unsurprised. "It's really horrible PR", he said. "Their strategy is so far over the top; nuts and sledgehammers come to mind. It was always inevitable it would backfire".

^{Source: The Register}