shamu726 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) In Germany legal threats against file-sharers have been put on the radar of the U.S. Military. In a letter of advice prepared by the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, soldiers and civilians stationed in Germany are warned about the consequences of unauthorized file-sharing. The corps advises those who are affected not to ignore the threat but to seek further legal assistance.In recent years copyright holders have started hundreds of thousands of lawsuits against alleged pirates in Germany, demanding settlements ranging from a few hundred to thousands of euros.These “trolling” ventures are more mainstream than in other countries and have even attracted the attention of the major Hollywood studios.20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros Entertainment, for example, are actively patrolling the Internet for people who download their work without permission. When someone is caught sharing their work, they can expect a settlement request of a few hundred euros in the mail.Some of these letters have landed on the doorsteps of U.S. soldiers and civilians in the military community in Wiesbaden. This is not a big surprise, as these file-sharing networks and pirate sites are often the only way to enjoy recent U.S. movies and TV-shows.To inform people about the threat of legal action, the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps at the Wiesbaden base prepared an advisory document.“It has become very popular to download music, films, and TV series in the privacy of the home,” the brief starts, quickly adding that unauthorized copying is against the law.“Downloading copyright protected material whilst making it available to the public via peer-to-peer file sharing software is an offence in Germany and the user can also be held liable for damages to the copyright holder under German Copyright laws.”The brief continues with an overview of how file-sharers are caught, and advises people to secure their wireless networks to prevent others from downloading copyrighted material over their connection.Those who receive a settlement letter are advised to take it seriously. The cases that have gone to court thus far suggest that unless it’s a false accusation people only have limited resources to fight back.“So what should you do if you received a demand letter from a law firm alleging an illegal download? Don’t ignore it, because mostly it can be assumed that the issued notice letter is basically legally sufficient.”Most settlement letters demand a few hundred euros in damages and legal fees. U.S. soldiers and civilians who are targeted are not encouraged to pay up directly, but should consult a lawyer first.“It is advisable not to communicate with the law firm and also not to sign any document, or to make any payments before consulting with an attorney,” the brief notes.How many U.S. soldiers and citizens have been targeted remains unknown, but the document would not have been drafted on the basis of an isolated incident. Ironically, it appears that “the war on piracy” is one of the most serious threats U.S. soldiers face in Germany today.Troll warninghttp://www.scribd.com/doc/190394640/Illegal-DownloadSource: TorrentFreak Edited December 10, 2013 by shamu726 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkm Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 As a former U.S. miltary member stationed in Germany for four years I can tell you exactly how to respond to this. Ignore ignore ignore. You are not german so there is nothing they can do. This letter is just something the JAG put out to cover their own butt. The german gov't tried to tax me with a regular 'ol TV tax of a few hundred euro when I was stationed there (just like the UK has). Ignored ignored ignored ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nIGHT Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 (edited) It's a cat and mouse game then?The US government supports and protects their own people/soldiers pirating stuff when being targeted by other country's copytrolls but they support their own copytrolls in their own country against its own people? :wtf: Edited December 11, 2013 by nIGHT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flitox Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 hopefully, this is America, ya know they are FREE :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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