Goldman Sues Web Site Over Simpson Book

The Associated Press
Friday, November 30, 2007; 8:12 AM

LOS ANGELES -- Ronald Goldman's father is taking legal action to stop a file-sharing Web site from posting O.J. Simpson's book, "If I Did It," about the slaying of his son and Simpson's ex-wife.

Fred Goldman, who has the rights to the best-selling book, claims he has lost at least $150,000 since the popular Swedish site The Pirate Bay made the book available for free downloads, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

O.J. Simpson appears in court for his arraignment in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007. Simpson pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. (AP Photo/Ethan Miller, Pool) (Ethan Miller - AP)

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Although Goldman's attorneys have sent a letter demanding the Web site's operators stop posting the book, the defendants have indicated "they are not subject to the laws of the United States," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit seeks to recover profits from the "illegal publication" and suggests The Pirate Bay receive advertising money from such American companies as Wal-Mart, Target, Jamster and The Wall Street Journal.

"It's the wealth through the advertising" that allows the site to remain, said Goldman's attorney, David Cook.

"Ron Goldman LLC will never be able to stop these pirates from posting that book online but they can do that in the poorhouse," Cook said.

A call to The Pirate Bay was answered by a recording and the Web site was temporarily offline Thursday.

Goldman won the rights to the book in his ongoing legal fight with Simpson, who was acquitted in a criminal trial of the 1994 murders of his son and friend Nicole Brown Simpson. After their families sued for wrongful death, a civil court jury found Simpson liable and ordered him to pay $33.5 million.

Simpson has paid little of the judgment, which has risen to about $39 million with interest, so Fred Goldman has been going after some of the former football star's assets.

He recently won the rights to the book, which was retitled "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer" and became a New York Times best-seller.

With a court having earmarked 90 percent of the book's royalties for Goldman, he could eventually win a substantial sum.