Photo: Freestocks

Users of illegal services are now being held accountable

Apr 6, 2021 | Trials

6. April 2021

The court in Odense sentenced a 35-year-old man to 60 days probation for illegal file sharing of films and series. The verdict shows that the police’s focus is now on the users of the illegal services.

The Rights Alliance reported the user in question to SØIK on the basis of an investigation on the file-sharing network DanishBits. In addition to 60 days’ conditional imprisonment, the convicted person can look forward to having to pay compensation to the Danish rights holders.

In 2016, DanishBits – with more than 40,000 users – was reported by the Rights Alliance for illegally releasing Danish films on the service before their official release date, in addition to sharing articles, e-books and music – also without the consent of rights holders. The report led to SØIK in the autumn of 2020, after several years of thorough investigation, carrying out a comprehensive international action against key backers behind DanishBits and other Danish file-sharing networks. The actions resulted in, among other things, the closure of the largest illegal file-sharing service in Denmark, and the arrest of the Danish main culprit behind DanishBits in Morocco.

The police’s focus is on the hardcore users

Throughout last autumn and winter, several actions were carried out against the perpetrators of a number of illegal Danish file-sharing networks, but this verdict against an hardcore user is guaranteed to attract attention, as we now see the consequences of SØIK’s focus on users who repeatedly share illegal content.

Senior prosecutor Kaare Linde from SØIK, who has investigated the case against the now convicted 35-year-old man, states the following: “We are not only looking for the perpetrators behind the file sharing services, but also for users. The convict was a hardcore user, and you cannot feel safe at home behind the computer if you download movies illegally. “

At Rights Alliance, director Maria Fredenslund welcomes the responsibility that the hardcore users of the illegal services are now faced with: “When you see time and time again this group of users stubbornly holding on to their illegal sharing of films, series, literature and articles, despite the police interference on several occasions, we are pleased that SØIK has sharpened their focus on these incarnated criminals. It must never pay to be a criminal,” says Maria Fredenslund.