December 17, 2013 | The Biz

German RedTube viewers accused of piracy

Last week, 30,000 RedTube users in Germany were surprised to find 'cease and desist' letters in the mail. They were advised that because they had streamed specific copyrighted material, they were guilty of piracy and were being asked to pay a fine.

The law firm, Urmann and Colleagues, somehow convinced a German court to force Deutsche Telekom to release the names and addresses of all citizens who had accessed the site. The users were then contacted, and for each copyright violation  - luckily, only a few titles were targeted - were asked to pay around $344. The firm said it was acting on behalf of the copyright holders.

More letters may be sent in the New Year. "RedTube was more like a test balloon," Thomas Urmann said on the weekend. "We have been looking into different sites, and therefore I anticipate sending letters to users of those portals in the coming months.”

RedTube called the actions 'blackmail' and a gross invasion of the privacy of German citizens.

“Serious allegations have surfaced in the media recently,” argued Vice President Alex Taylor, “rest assured that our counsel received an immediate mandate to pursue all necessary actions to make all related entities accountable for the damage that has been caused. In 2013, blackmailing and violating the privacy of German citizens’ private domain should not and will not be tolerated.”

Attorney Christian Solmecke has advised several people in receipt of the letter to neither pay the fine nor sign a release.

“Whether streaming is illegal under German copyright law is hotly debated amongst law experts,” Solmecke said. “We believe streaming is legal. RedTube users have done nothing illegal and should not give in to the demands in the warning letters."

To be honest, this sounds like nothing more than a money grab by the law firm. People, scared of having their porn habits exposed to family and friends, are more likely to pay up to keep this all quiet. If the lawyers were serious, they would target RedTube and the video uploaders and be willing to prove their allegations before a judge.

Thousands of Germans get warning letters for watching copyrighted porn [The Guardian]

More Porn Viewers to Be Fingered in Germany — Lawyer [XBiz]