On Thursday, 29/5/2025, the appeal filed by the Society for the Protection of Audiovisual Works (EPOE) due to the activity of a pirate file-sharing website was heard in the first instance, at the Single-Member Criminal Appeal Court of Piraeus.
As part of its mission to protect intellectual property, OSDEL was present at the trial and was represented by its lawyers in support of the case, because among the files that were illegally trafficked, works of speech (books, magazines, etc.) were also identified.
As emerged from the evidence in the case file, more than 2014 digital files were illegally distributed through the pirate website, until the arrest of its owner and administrator in 14.000, utilizing system technology. peer to peer (P2P) and the torrent method, to tens of thousands of users - estimated to exceed 40.000. The website illegally provided access to files containing works protected by copyright, in particular musical works, cinematographic works and books, while at the same time the owner received income from online advertising and donations from users.
The Court was convinced of the defendant's criminal acts, after proving their repeated commission, the very well-organized structure of the website that allowed the distribution of illegal files to a very large number of users, the profit made by the defendant as well as the great financial and moral damage suffered by the beneficiaries from these illegal acts. Therefore, the Court found the defendant guilty at first instance and imposed on him a five-year prison sentence and a fine. 10.000 euro.
This court decision is a major victory against internet piracy and the phenomenon of the pirate underground economy that operates to the detriment of authors, translators, journalists, illustrators and publishers of books, newspapers and magazines, as well as thousands of workers in the sectors of the legal distribution of cultural goods.
More information and updates on OSDEL's work regarding the fight against electronic piracy (Anti-piracy) here
Evi Triantafyllou
ARTS PR
photo Who is Danny, Image license by freepik.com
