AfterDawn: News

Germany raids 3500 PCs in anti-piracy campaign

The country of Germany was once known as a safe haven for file sharing needs, often taking a very lackadaisical attitude towards pirating. Recent enforcement however has turned the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) against users of the famous eDonkey2000 and eMule file sharing communities. This morning German officials entered the grounds of over 130 different homes of alleged pirates and confiscated personal computers as well as external media in the cities of Cologne and Bergheim.

These raids were administered by the Public Prosecution Service of Cologne and the Police Authority of Bergheim, who apparently had been investigating alleged illegal activities for several months in cooperation with the IFPI.

"I am pleased that the German authorities recognise the serious impact of copyright crime and are taking action against it,” said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI. “Internet piracy has hurt the whole music community in Germany, with legitimate sales falling by a third in just five years. The victims are investment in music and everyone who makes a livelihood out of the music industry.

According to the IFPI, each of the 3,500 individuals faces both criminal and civil prosecution for distributing unauthorized material online. However considering the scale of the enforcement, many of the 3,500 individuals will likely settle for “several thousand Euros” instead of going to full trial.

Source:
Slyck News

Written by: Dave Horvath @ 23 May 2006 7:52

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• 15 comments

• gogochar

  I'm certainly glad that I live in America. Free Speech now, Free Speech for eternity! Just try to raid me. First of all, the cops here are trying to cut down on crime, not piracy. Second of all, I own 100% legitimate media. Any copies I own are all fair use copies of CDs that I frequently use. I don't practically care to waste time on movies, but do occaisionally make backups to preserve my originals. If only the government would learn to view fair use as not piracy but legal, the world would be a better place.

  23.5.2006 08:42 #1

• hot_ice

  "Serious impact of copyright crime"
  
  Am I missing something here? There seems to be more centralized effort put into copyright crime, than any other crime I've been hearing about in the news.
  
  If I remember correctly, recording your favourite song that passes on the radio, is a crime by their standards. Pretty sad.
  
  

  23.5.2006 08:52 #2

• XxRUINSxX

  Man this is so dumb...worry about world hunger, curing aids, world peace, or new and cheaper forms of energy....screw those big music/film companies

  23.5.2006 10:22 #3

• Halen5150

  @xxRuinsxx
  
  I'm right with you, man. I also think it's a bunch of bull that the government is more concerned about people violating copyrights rather than being concerned about something much more important like one of the things xxRuinsxx mentioned.
  
  

  23.5.2006 12:08 #4

• llongtheD

  I think they want to care Halen5150, but their votes are already paid for by the movie, and music industry. Until important problems are as profitable to pass law on, I guess we'll get more, and stricter laws on consumer entertainment.

  23.5.2006 17:55 #5

• sanders66

  It seems everyone is getting more strick on piracy and file sharing. A little more then they should...

  23.5.2006 18:01 #6

• hot_ice

  As I've reiterated in the past, you are a citizen of a nation, you live in a democratic country, and you find a law to be too harsh, write and lobby your politicians to strike it down. With enough "People pressure" they will cave in, and hopefully in the future, we won't see jail sentences being served to inoffensive people. Seriously now, what happens to these people once in jail, with no criminal history or anything?
  
  From what I know, these people aren't organized criminals, they aren't making profit out of it, and they certainly aren't hurting anyone, especially if they listen to a song and then end up buying the product.
  
  This is like the pedestrian who jaywalks...Do you fine him with a ticket? Or just let it pass?

  24.5.2006 16:23 #7

• domie

  I thought somewthing like this was going to happen as german authorities have been investigating my ed2k site for some time now and firing lawyers' letters off to the domain registrar and also the server host, luckily i am not german and don't live in germany so they couldn't do anything.

  24.5.2006 16:25 #8

• ralfsolo

  it's just a lie , think a little :
  
  3,500 individuals ...in how many days , one ? how many officers involved , 500 , 1000 ? how they can get in your appartment , with what official paper ?
  
  it's just a lie .

  31.5.2006 00:24 #9

• evnflow

  it does sound a lil' wierd, in one part of the article it states, that the german officials went to 130 homes and confiscated computers and hard drives...but later on in the article, it states, that there were 3,500 individuals involved...i highly doubt that there were 27 people in each home...
  

  
  Dolla Dolla Bill Ya'll
  
  

  31.5.2006 01:40 #10

• ralfsolo

  ok , let's say they do went to 3500 homes .
  
  I don't know you , but if it's happens to me I will resist IF I open the door , I will contest their right to get in my home for such thing who is not murder,drogs deal or weapons or so..., I will ask to phone for a lawer or get agressive when they come near my computer , for exemple I have private work , letters and photos from my familly than I don't have anywhere else than in my computer , I will fight to save them and accuse to enter my privacy and steal my work ...
  
  All this will occur a minimum of 30 minutes , in my home , and a other 30 minutes to find my home for the officers who do this work (check the street then the map , then find some one who open the door if their is digi-code and so and so), I m sure they do not work alone and will come at least at 3 guys (never know who you deal with) so it's mean for 3 officer 3500 times 1 hour
  = 3500 hours work by 8 hours day work its around 437 days .
  
  Now lets say they have 10 teams of officers , 30 police officers (that its a lot for this kind of "crime" ) it's mean for each team around a MINIMUM of 44 days , or 9 weeks of work. (I don't want to talk about the people involve to recieve the 3500 computers , and put them in some place , write the report of it and so and so ...)
  
  They say they get inside 3500 homes , so at least they go to 5 000 homes (people not there , working,vacancy and so...) , you can add a 30 % more work .
  
  So that mean a minimum of 3 month of raiding computers at home in 2 large town in germany by a large effective of police officers and no one has alerted the communoty or report it , with 80 computers A DAY !!!(8 computers a day by 10 teams is 80 raided computers)
  
  Let me dout a little about this official info, mmm ok

  1.6.2006 02:31 #11

• ralfsolo

  Hoo , now it's only 130 computers with 3.500 people , mmm lets see ...
  
  Ok , one team a guy come to your home , after a futile resistance from these borgs in police uniform they come to your bedroom and see the thousans of copies all over the walls , they size your computer ,then they charge :
  - you ,
  - your parents
  - your little sisters
  - your pets ( the cat and the dog) ,
  - the unluky friend who come just in this time to return you a ripped dvd movie ,a movie he didn't like and wanted to complein about it and ask an other one.
  - A other unfortnate friend who phone you ans say "hey man , I m bored ,do you have a new game you get from the net "
  
  lets me count 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 9
  
  Like Evnflow says , theire is missing 16 people there
  
  This news is talking about undividuals who don't make bisness of it , right ? so how come they can charge 27 people around one computer (130 time 27 = 3510 ), it's a joke .
  
  I will tell you something , they make people scare and nothing else , and they surely never do anything against it because it keep the population quiete , after have been robber all their money by the government , people feel to take something back with a free movie or 2 , copying some free stuff it's the only thing than make not all of us going to street and breaking everything and that THEY KNOW IT .

  1.6.2006 03:05 #12

• evnflow

  lmao...love the rant...it is a lil' fishy...
  

  
  Dolla Dolla Bill Ya'll
  
  

  1.6.2006 07:23 #13

• ottcan

  I only stated my limited experiances. My deepest regrets mod.

  19.6.2006 13:21 #14

• hot_ice

  In Canada, all there is, is snow it seems.

  19.6.2006 20:06 #15