2026-09-29 08:17 UTC
Replies (22)
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@ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-09-29 08:24
Don’t even need to respond, just toss the letter. You will never hear from them again. But do use a VPN when torrenting from especially Germany.
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@sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-09-29 08:51
An acquaintance from Germany received one or two of these letters. They didn’t react and there has never been more. They told me the letters had big and official, scary looking paper work. A non-reaction seemed to be enough to fend off these unrealistic accusations, they told me. It’s been a few years since I heard this story.
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@HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 2026-09-29 08:53
Nah unless they’re at the door with the cops, all threats are empty.
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@h3ndrik@piefed.social 2026-09-29 09:41
Depends. Those are just letters. You can decide to respond, or not respond, that’s up to you. Though it’s strongly recommended to contact a lawyer before signing any contract with them, admitting to wrongdoing or give them information about yourself. I’d probably try to avoid (5) without legal advise. If you toss it in the bin, they’ll have to decide whether they have enough evidence and whether it’s worth the effort to actually sue you.
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@Hond@piefed.social 2026-09-29 09:56
I wouldnt admit not having a wifi password in germany. Theres the “Störerhaftung”. If its your device you are responsible. Thats why germany has so few open public wifis. But i never got a letter and looked up what to do? Probably tossing the letter into the trash is enough. Just be sure to seperage yout waste properly so your neighbour doesnt sue you.
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@state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-09-29 11:07
I was in this situation once, when I was the legal contact for the internet used by me and my roommates. One of them apparently downloaded porn and I got the letter. I contacted a lawyer, paid a flat fee (meaning even if it had gone to court I wouldn’t’ve had to pay more), he wrote one letter, saying I don’t even know what a torrent is, and I never heard from them again. I felt much better having the lawyer handle it.
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@tom@jlai.lu 2026-09-29 12:32
I’ve also received a letter about seeding a torrent when I was in Germany in early 2010s. I went to see a legal aid lawyer, who was almost free, and he already had a prewritten letter saying that basically I was sorry and that I should come back if I received another letter. The first letter said that if I didn’t pay within a few days, they would start a very expensive legal procedure. About a month later, I received a reminder, so I went back to the lawyer. This time, his letter said that I wasn’t able to pay the amount and that I should come back if I received another letter. I never received anything after that. So, based on my experience, I agree: it’s all bark and no bite.
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@Tabitha@hexbear.net 2026-09-29 13:27
I have no idea what letter they sent and I have no understanding of the legal context, but I would just ignore the letter and starting using a VPN or another alternative.
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@tempest@lemmy.ca 2026-09-29 14:01
In Canada the max they can get from an individual is around 5k which means they don’t often pursue things. They still send the letters though.
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@Fleppensteijn@sh.itjust.works 2026-09-29 14:29
The family I stayed at got a letter after I visited and had my torrent client on (it always started on boot). A lawyer sent one letter, costing 300 euros and we never heard from it again. Though, I think there was an update on laws against these practices
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@Ice@lemmy.zip 2026-09-29 16:28
One letter = what letter? Second letter = Maybe consider a VPN & plead ignorance.
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@Scrollone@feddit.it 2026-09-29 20:38
Thank God my country doesn’t pursue piracy at all (unless it’s related to live football matches)
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@Sackett@thelemmy.club 2026-09-29 23:36
“Don’t talk to someone who is a trained professional to handle these kinds of problems, instead talk directly to the party trying to get you into legal trouble” is the dumbest advice I can imagine.
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@Muehe@lemmy.ml 2026-09-30 01:48
From my totally uninformed non-lawyer knowledge: It’s more or less safe to ignore random letters from German lawyers until they are forwarded to you by a German court (usually in a yellow(?) envelope).
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@bleustenns@lemmy.ml 2026-09-30 02:19
This is terrible advice, please just get a VPN like IVPN or Mullvad and throw the letter away. Anyone telling you to forego a legal professional when it comes to legal issues is leading you astray.
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@recarsion@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-09-30 10:14
You should just use a VPN in the first place and then none of this is a problem.
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@Tetsuo@jlai.lu 2026-09-30 12:49
Meanwhile the AI bros are pirating every media they can get a hold on in total impunity… But individuals get targeted by lawyers.
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@lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-09-30 19:04
Or just ignore it. If you actually read it, it never says anything about you being in trouble at that moment, but it’s intentionally worded to invoke that fear. Toss it in the bin and use a VPN.
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@TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-09-30 19:08
From what I’ve heard from my German friends the network owner, so the one paying the isp bill, is responsible for whatever happens on the network. If someone broke in onto your network and downloaded illegal stuff, you are still liable for the fines as you should have protected your network sufficiently. Maybe you can get away with it if you are able to present hard evidence your sufficiently protected network was broken in to. It’s the same with speed cam tickets. If you prove in court someone else was driving your car, you won’t have to pay the fine. If you are unable to, you are liable. Imo it goes against the law. There’s this thing called “innocent until proven guilty”, so the burden of proof lies with the authorities, not with you. But sadly it’s not always the case. This did cause a lot of legal fights though, and to my knowledge this caused the German police to flash cars from the front now, so the driver would be visible in the photo in most situations.
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@JustEnoughDucks@slrpnk.net 2026-10-01 07:02
In Belgium, just next to it, I know someone who was doing tons of torrenting and sharing with friends and family back in 2005-2010 time and got prosecuted for his piracy (like 5 years after he was doing it) and had to pay huge fines as a teenager. He definitely wasn’t using a VPN and probably port forwarding and openly sharing back in those days. It definitely happens. (Not Germany but neighbors) Just get and use a VPN with a client kill switch. Paying 50-100€ per year is much cheaper than 10k in fines down the line, and don’t share it with anyone outside of your household.
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@WarmApplePieShrek@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-10-01 14:16
In Germany, they don’t have to prove guilt, you have to prove innocence or else you get fined. The system is rigged for the corporations.
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@SoGrumpy@lemmy.ml 2026-10-02 15:33
I received a notification for downloading something I didn’t download - I’m not even interested in it. Went to court, court said it was my IP and I had to pay. 1500€ for something I didn’t download. In Germany you have to prove innocence, which is impossible if all you can say is “It wasn’t me.”