SINGAPORE — The rights owners of two Hollywood movies, Queen of the Desert and Fathers & Daughters, have started legal proceedings to go after illegal downloaders here — the second time this has happened, after the Dallas Buyers Club case last year.

Samuel Seow Law Corporation, the law firm that acted for the film studio behind Dallas Buyers Club, has served papers on Singtel, StarHub and M1 and a pre-trial conference has been scheduled in the High Court today. The law firm declined comment.

According to the schedule of hearings, QOTD Film Investments and Fathers & Daughters Nevada LLC are the plaintiffs. QOTD produced Queen of the Desert, which stars Nicole Kidman and James Franco.

Fathers and Daughters was produced by Voltage Pictures, the same film studio that went after illegal downloaders of Dallas Buyers Club in Singapore last year.

It succeeded in getting the court to compel the telcos to give up details of their customers who purportedly downloaded the movie.

QOTD and Fathers & Daughters Nevada LLC both sued subscribers in the United States at the beginning of this year, for illegally downloading the same two movies, and infringing copyright.

When contacted yesterday, an M1 spokesman said: “We are consulting with our lawyers in respect of the matter and are unable to comment further, as proceedings are currently ongoing in the Court.”

Singtel and StarHub similarly said that they are unable to comment as the matter is now before the courts.

In the Dallas Buyers Club case last year, the three telcos received court orders to turn over information of subscribers linked to the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses identified, such as names, IC numbers and addresses.

Letters were then sent to Internet users here asking for a written offer of damages and costs within three days of receiving the letter.

Dallas Buyers Club LLC reportedly identified more than 500 Singapore IP addresses here through which the movie was said to have been downloaded illegally.