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Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN is well aware of the latest trends in piracy, and the group also knows its classics. This week, BREIN reports that several Usenet users have settled for thousands of euros after being located. In recent weeks, four people associated with a NZB community have been captured and all have accepted a private deal rather than go to court.
Dutch anti-piracy group BRAIN has targeted pirates of all shapes and sizes over the past quarter century.
It is also one of the few groups that systematically tracks copyright infringers on Usenet, one of the oldest file-sharing systems that still has millions of users.
BREIN has a long history of searching Usenet indexing sites. These portals do not host any infringing material on their servers but, like torrent sites, offer NZB files or "spots" that make infringing material easy to find on Usenet.
These law enforcement efforts are not limited to these indexers. The anti-piracy group has also targeted players higher up the chain, including Usenet providers. On the other end of the spectrum, you also see prolific users.
BREIN reaches agreement with Usenet pirates
This week, BREIN reports that established with two members of a relatively new Usenet community. Several prolific users had switched to this site after another NZB community was taken offline by the anti-piracy group. In retrospect, it was a costly decision.
The first users, who, like the sites, remain anonymous, offered pirated copies of books and settled for 7,200 euros. The second person uploaded music and books and accepted a settlement of 5,000 euros, which is partly conditioned by personal circumstances.
These settlement agreements further stipulate that users will have to pay an additional 500 euros per charge if they are caught for a similar crime in the future.
These are not the first people connected to the site to be located. Last month, BREIN Announced that he had reached an agreement with an administrator for 7,500 euros, while a user agreed to pay 5,000 euros. The anti-piracy group already said then that there were more suspects on its radar.
OSINT and intermediary information
All of these settlements took place outside of court. BREIN doesn't explain in detail how these people were tracked down, but director Tim Kuik tells TorrentFreak that OSINT and information from previous police actions proved useful.
In addition, BREIN also obtained information from online intermediaries, without going to court. Kuik clarified that companies must share information with rights holders according to existing case law. โNo judicial procedure was necessary,โ says Kuik.
According to the Lycos/Pessers rulingonline intermediaries are required cooperate if, among other things, the requested personal information is necessary to address a specific harm and there is no alternative option to obtain it.
BREIN does not name any of the sites where these users were members, but clarified that both were aimed at a Dutch audience and are no longer online.
Is Usenet a haven for piracy?
The anti-piracy group will continue to monitor Usenet activity in the future. He is particularly critical of some commercial Usenet companies, which he views as a haven for pirates, who facilitate and profit from widespread copyright infringement.
In a high-profile lawsuit, BREIN previously attempted to hold Usenet provider News-Service Europe liable for copyright infringement. This case lasted fourteen years and reached the highest court.
Earlier this year, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Usenet company, order BREIN will pay 65,000 euros in legal fees. This was a bittersweet victory for the supplier, which was forced to close years down earlier.
