German RedTube porn site viewers accused of copyright infringement
It is the kind of letter that might lead to an uncomfortable conversation around the breakfast table: this month, between 20,000 and 30,000 German households have received legal warnings for having viewed copyrighted pornographic films via the streaming website RedTube.
It is the kind of letter that might lead to an uncomfortable conversation around the breakfast table: this month, between 20,000 and 30,000 German households have received legal warnings for having viewed copyrighted pornographic films via the streaming website RedTube.
Initially, it had been assumed that a court error had led to the sending of the letters, which ask for the payment of a €250 (HK$2,700) fine to the Swiss media agent that claims to hold copyright for the films including Amanda's Secret, Miriam's Adventure and Glamour Show Girls. But now the legal firm behind the warnings says that it plans to look into more infringements on porn streaming sites in the coming year. "RedTube was more like a test balloon," Thomas Urmann of law firm U+C told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
Urmann said hundreds of internet users' households had responded to the letter; some were written by irate wives and partners, but "most of the conversations, however, have been very factual and businesslike".
Most of them remember having accessed redtube.com in the past
RedTube's Alex Taylor released a statement saying: "RedTube stands by its firm opinion that these letters are completely unfounded and that they violate the rights of those who received it in a very serious manner," describing the actions as blackmail and a violation of privacy.
Copyright lawyer Christian Solmecke said there was not only "no legal basis" for the fines, but that it was possible that the law firm behind the letters may have broken the law. "It is hard to imagine how the IP addresses of the users could have been obtained on a legal basis."