59

News

Danes being accused by prominent law firm of downloading pirated content

Shifa Rahaman
February 17th, 2016


This article is more than 8 years old.

A number of internet users have recently received letters demanding fines of up to 2,000 kroner

In recent days, many Danes have received letters from the law firm Opus accusing them of using online services to download pirated movies and TV shows, DR reports.

The law firm, acting on behalf of clients who own the rights to the material being downloaded, has ordered the accused to pay fines of up to 2,000 kroner or end up facing prison time.

Impossible to prove
Consumer lawyer Peter Fogh Knudsen, who operates forbrugerbloggen.dk, has now weighed in on the issue and doesn’t believe there’s anything to worry about.

I know there are no defendants who have been convicted in such cases. On the contrary, Østre and Vestre High Court have acquitted consumers because they [the law firms] have been unable to prove that it was the recipient of the bill that made the illegal downloads,” he said.

Not to be ignored
However, the Danish Consumer Ombudsman, which is an independent public authority that surpervises companies and individuals regarding compliance with Danish marketing law, has warned the recipients of the letters that ignoring them could lead to penalty charges and the threat of debt collection.

If you do not believe you have downloaded the film, immediately tell your law firm,” said Ulrika Folkmann-Schjerbeck, a senior consultant with the outfit.

“[If you ignore the letters] there is a risk that they will return and may impose penalty charges, and you may be threatened with debt collection and find yourself on the RKI register. We want to avoid the situation of consumers ending up in such a situation.”

 

 


Share

Most popular

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive The Daily Post

















Latest Podcast

A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”