Web designer guilty of unauthorized exploitation of copyright protected works

A 33-year-old web designer is sentenced to 2,5 years imprisonment, as a result of his involvement in the German online movie portal kino.to. The web designer was found guilty of unauthorized commercial exploitation of more than 1,1 million copyright protected works by the Court in Leipzig.

The website presented more than one million links referring to copyright protected works such as films and television series. Every month, more than 130 thousand links are added. The 33-year-old man confessed and this played a crucial role in solving the case, according to the Court. Judge Mathias Winderlich said kino.to mains focus was making money. The exploitation of the portal realized a turnover of millions generated by online advertising. The investigators seized about 2,5 million euros.

The most important person behind kino.to, a 38-year-old man, is still awaiting his hearing. The 33-year-old web designer is the first person convicted as a result of the investigation on the online movie portal. In total, thirteen persons were arrested.

Reference: Heise online

By: Karen Groen