Brain settles with usenet uploader of hundreds of episodes of TV series

Brein has reached a settlement of 7,500 euros with a man who, according to the foundation, put more than 1500 episodes of TV series on Usenet and then made them findable via spot websites. The settlement was reached after an ex-parte decision.

In his ex-parte order of October, Brein states that the man put new episodes on Usenet every week, including the Arrow, The Blacklist, The Flash, Suits and Person of Interest series. Using matching message IDs, Brein was able to demonstrate that the uploader was also the one who made the files discoverable via spots. It is not known exactly how the organization discovered the identity.

According to the foundation, the man put the episodes on Usenet within a few days of the first broadcast and most files can still be found there. Brein requested the judge to order that the man cease to commit the infringing act within 24 hours, with a penalty of two thousand euros per day if he does not comply with this.

The uploader has agreed to the settlement proposed by Brein and therefore has to pay 7,500 euros to the foundation. This will not lead to a lawsuit. In an earlier case against a Usenet uploader, the settlement concerned 15,000 euros. Then it was about uploading 15,000 music files. The current settlement takes the person’s financial position into account, according to Brein.