Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 24, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The number of successfully concluded proceedings was higher than ever before at 2,253 – including 380 civil cases. In addition, the organisation stepped up the development of technical measures against mass distribution.
Focusing on the sources of the illegal distribution network, the GVU conducted targeted investigations into those responsible for the greatest damage and the connections between groups of offenders. On the Internet, these initially include release groups, whose members upload the first pirated copy of a film or game to non-public servers. Also operating at this level are so-called facilitators, who enable worldwide mass distribution of pirated copies by making the release groups’ material available to a wider public. Here, the GVU concentrated on pay-server operators, portal operators and the facilitators of BitTorrent technology, which was used predominantly for the illegal exchange of films in 2007: tracker operators and first seeders. The latter are the first to make a film available on so-called file-sharing networks. In the area of physical piracy using pressed or burned video media, the GVU focused on organised crime at Czech border markets and flea markets within Germany.
Through extensive preliminary investigations, the organisation increased the proportion of proceedings initiated against facilitators from 24 to 33 percent compared with the previous year. As the illegal market is showing a trend towards purely digital pirated copies, the number of objects seized by the authorities fell by 17 percent compared with the previous year to 428,339 items of evidence, including seven percentage points fewer media containing pirated films. The proportion of successfully concluded criminal proceedings (1,873) was increased by 23 percent compared with the previous year (1,475). Convictions were handed down in 28 percent of these cases. This is 66 percent more convictions than in 2005 and 32 percent more than in 2006.
Christian Sommer, Chairman of the GVU, comments: “The strong focus on the sources of the illegal distribution network and our two-part strategy have proved their worth: legal proceedings against the top of the distribution pyramid, and the development of technical measures and solutions against mass distribution. The GVU will continue to pursue this strategy consistently in 2008. Developments, particularly last year, have shown that the GVU must and will become more involved in political discussions together with other industry associations and rights holders to improve the conditions for effective copyright protection. Not least to create a framework that permits the effective fight against copyright infringements at the level of mass distribution through technical measures. Internet providers must also live up to their responsibility here.”
