German Copyright Holders Targeting 300,000 Infringers Per Month

German Internet Industry Association ECO says that combined with increasing consumer use of legal download services proves there is no need for ISP-level site filtering legislation that could violate the “basic rights of the population.”

According to ECO, the German Internet Industry Association, copyright holders are having a field day in the war against illegal file-sharing as ISPs have been identifying 300,000 suspected infringers per month.

It said this increased likelihood of being identified along with an expansion of legal download services have helped to decrease the number of illegal file-sharers by more than 20% since 2008, proving the fight against P2P has been “successful.”

ECO divulged the figures to make the case that a proposal for ISP-level filtering is unnecessary, especially considering it could violate the “basic rights of the population.”
“The increasing availability of digital content on the German market shows that one can combat Internet piracy effectively without deep intervention in the basic rights of the population,” it said in a press release. “Barrier methods such as by the European Commission planned and advertised last week at the G8 Forum in Paris are unnecessary.”

Last week the European Commission released a new Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) strategy that combines a mixture of increased copyright enforcement and reform. On the enforcement side the leading cause for concern is discussion of ISP “cooperation” in the fight against online infringement.
ECO believes the German method of fighting online infringement has already proven its effectiveness.

“First, there is much more legal and user-friendly products than it was several years ago,” said ECO president Michael Rotert. “On the other hand, shows the consistent approach on illegal downloads without blocking effect. “
Board member Oliver Süme added that a warning letter is usually enough in “most cases” to deter illegal file-sharing, and that settlement letters demanding several hundred euros are “excessive.”

In any event, US ISPs are nowhere near identifying that many individuals per month.