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This time anti-piracy group BREIN knocks out a file-sharing Facebook group
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 19 August 2016
Dutch anti-piracy organisation BREIN continues in its previously reported bid to target prolific individual file-sharers, and also to demonstrate that it’s targeting those who share music and movie content without permission in an assortment of different places – this time by sharing links via a Facebook group.
Since stepping up its efforts against individual online pirates once again, BREIN has successfully pressured file-sharers using both KickassTorrents and Usenet to commit to no longer share content without licence. The latest targeted file-sharer uploaded music files to cyber-lockers and then shared links to the content via a Facebook group.
As with previous cases, BREIN secured an ex-parte court order against the man which would mean the file-sharer would incur regular fines if he continued to infringe copyright in this way. When presented with the order, the man agreed to comply, as well as to pay the anti-piracy organisation 7000 euros in damages.
According to Torrentfreak, the man wrote on his file-sharing Facebook group, which has since been shut down: “Ladies and gentlemen, by order of BREIN I have to stop uploading music. I will therefore quit effective immediately. In addition, I will leave the group today, both as administrator and as a member. I wish everyone all the best”.
The 7000 euro fine is lower than that paid by some of the others recently targeted by BREIN, though it seems that the size of payment demanded is in part linked to the file-sharer’s ability to pay.
Of course, some might argue that this activity on BREIN’s part is merely tapping at the tip of an iceberg, with many file-sharers hard to identify, or located in inconvenient jurisdictions. Though the anti-piracy group presumably reckons this new strategy is worth the effort, taking certain key file-sharers offline, with fines sufficient that some other prolific uploaders – in the Netherlands at least – might worry they could be next.
