{{Short description|American businessman}} {{notability|Bio|date=February 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Christopher Sabec | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = | other_names = | known_for = Rightscorp, Inc. | occupation = Entertainment Attorney, Entrepreneur }}
'''Christopher Sabec''' is an entertainment attorney, manager, and entrepreneur who has worked with Dave Matthews Band,<ref>USA Today Weekend, "Young, Rich and Hanson", August 22, 1997</ref> Hanson,<ref name=people>{{cite web| url = http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20122601,00.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081101101606/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20122601,00.html| archive-date = 2008-11-01| title = Boys in the Band - Hanson, 90s Music, Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson : People.com}}</ref> the Jerry Garcia Estate<ref name=nyt>The New York Times, August 9, 2005, Jerry Garcia: The Man, the Myth, the Area Rug</ref> and Tea Leaf Green.<ref name=jam>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jambands.com/features/2004/09/30/a-glimpse-at-garcia-with-christopher-sabec.|title=A Glimpse at Garcia with Christopher Sabec|date=30 September 2004}}</ref> Sabec is also the co-founder and CEO of Rightscorp, Inc., the copyright monetization company.<ref name=pc>{{cite web|last=Roberts|first=Jeff John|title=$10 Settlement Offers: The Entertainment Industry's New Copyright Tactic|date=23 September 2011|url=http://paidcontent.org/2011/09/23/419-10-settlement-offers-the-entertainment-industrys-new-copyright-tactic/|publisher=PaidContent}}</ref>
==Career==
===Music management=== After graduating from University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, Georgia in 1992,<ref>SPIN Jun 2000, "Never Mind The MMMBollocks"</ref> Sabec moved to Richmond, VA and was introduced to Dave Matthews. Later, as music attorney for Dave Mathews, Sabec assisted in negotiating Matthews' first recording contract with RCA Records and in setting up his music publishing company, Colden Grey.<ref name=jam/>
In 1994, Sabec met Zac, Isaac and Taylor Hanson at the South by Southwest music conference barbecue in Austin, Texas.<ref name=people/> Sabec signed the three boys aged 8, 11 and 13 to a management contract and got them signed to Mercury Records.<ref name=people/>
In November 2002, Sabec was hired as chief executive of the Jerry Garcia Estate.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=jam/><ref name=cnn>{{cite news|last=Grinberg|first=Emanuella|title=Jerry Garcia's heirs sue over burrito chain's use of his image|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/13/moes.garcia/|publisher=CNN|date=January 13, 2005}}</ref> Under Sabec's management the first live release in to retail was After Midnight, a multitrack recording from Kean College, 1980.<ref name=jam/> He went on to put out between three and four new releases a year from the vault of more than 500 concerts.<ref name=glide>{{cite web|title=JERRY GARCIA LIVE ALBUM SERIES TO DEBUT|date=12 August 2004 |url=http://www.glidemagazine.com/6195/jerry-garcia-live-album-series-to-debut/|publisher=Glide Magazine}}</ref>
===Speaking=== Sabec was a panelist at South by Southwest Music Conference in March, 2000<ref>Billboard Feb 19, 2000, pp. 57</ref> and has taught music industry continuing education courses at the San Francisco Music Tech Summit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanfranmusictech.com/cle3.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-03-27 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210073905/http://www.sanfranmusictech.com/cle3.pdf |archivedate=2010-12-10 }}</ref>
Christopher Sabec was one of the first managers of major label artists to promote the downloading of MP3s as a promotional and marketing tool. In 1998, Christopher, was interviewed by then CEO of MP3.com, Michael Robertson, where he talked about how MP3s were going to change the music industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mp3.com/news/100.html |title=Swirl 360 Circulates MP3s |website=mp3.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981201230451/http://mp3.com/news/100.html |archive-date=1 December 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Rightscorp=== Sabec was the co-founder and CEO of Rightscorp, Inc.<ref name=pc/> The company acts on behalf of entertainment studios, artists, or copyright holders, sending notices to copyright infringers to offer the downloader several options for financial restitution.<ref name=pc/> The notice sent provides a settlement option through Rightscorp for $20 per infringement. If the user chooses not to pay and has repeatedly violated copyright infringements, the ISP may suspend or terminate the subscriber account until a settlement is reached.<ref name=tf>{{cite web|author=Ernesto|title=Piracy Monitoring and Settlement Firm Goes Public|url=http://torrentfreak.com/piracy-monitoring-and-settlement-firm-goes-public-131028/|publisher=TorrentFreak}}</ref>
Rightscorp, Inc. went public in October 2013, trading on the OTCQB under the ticker RIHT.<ref name=at>{{cite web|last=Mann|first=Colin|title=Rightscorp completes APO|date=29 October 2013 |url=http://advanced-television.com/2013/10/29/rightscorp-completes-apo/|publisher=Advanced Television}}</ref>
===Class Action Lawsuit=== On November 21, 2014, Morgan Pietz of The Pietz Law Firm, together with Drew Pomerance of Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani filed a Class action Lawsuit against Christopher Sabec, Robert Steele, and Craig Harmon, and Rightscorp, Inc. as well as various John Does.<ref name=Pietz>{{cite web|first1=Morgan|last1=Pietz|title=Rightscorp Class Action – Robo-Calls and DMCA Subpoenas|date=November 21, 2014|accessdate=November 24, 2014|website=The Pietz Law Firm|url=http://pietzlawfirm.com/rights-corp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124144512/http://pietzlawfirm.com/rights-corp|archive-date=November 24, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
The complaint sought class certification against Rightscorp, Inc. for violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, California's Rosenthal Act, and abuse of process for willfull misuse of subpoena power by issuing special DMCA subpoenas, under 17 U.S.C. § 512(h).<ref name=Mullin>{{cite web|first1=Joe|last1=Mullin|title=Class-action suit says Rightscorp, Inc. makes illegal, harassing phone calls|date=November 23, 2014|accessdate=November 24, 2014|website=ArsTechnica|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/class-action-suit-says-rightscorp-makes-illegal-harassing-phone-calls/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124142932/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/class-action-suit-says-rightscorp-makes-illegal-harassing-phone-calls/|archive-date=November 24, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
Pietz's original plaintiff withdrew from the case and, after locating replacements, half the claims were dropped. The court struck down one of two of the claims and Pietz's client was ordered to pay legal fees.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url= http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6561367/rightscorp-and-clients-avoid-abuse-claims |last= Gardner |first= Eriq |date= 12 May 2015|magazine= Billboard|title= Rightscorp and Clients Avoid Abuse Claims |accessdate=1 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/warner-bros-asserts-first-amendment-786475 |last= Gardner |first= Eriq |date= 6 April 2015|website= The Hollywood Reporter|title= Warner Bros. Asserts First Amendment Right to Hunt Copyright Pirates |accessdate=1 September 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabec, Christopher}} Category:Living people Category:Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Year of birth missing (living people)