Germany: film download platform founder sentenced
(AP) — A German court has convicted the founder of an illegal movie downloading platform of breaching copyright laws and sentenced him to four years and six months in prison.
The German news agency dapd reported that the Leipzig state court also ruled Thursday the man, identified only as Dirk B. in line with privacy rules, must pay up to €3.7 million ($4.6 million) in back taxes.
Prosecutors said the kino.to movie and TV-series streaming and downloading platform registered about 4 million users daily, generating high revenues through selling advertisements. Dirk B. was accused of breaching copyright laws in about 1.1 million cases.
A website designer and three other Germans involved with kino.to — which has now been shut down — already have been sentenced to prison terms of about three years.
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