Link To Site Selling DVD
Circumvention Software has to be removed!
Creating a link to another
website which offers illegal software for download, can lead to prosecution for
complicity. A Munich court ruled that the online news service Heise may publish
an article explaining anti-circumvention technology, but it may not include a
link in that article to a Web site where users may download the software.
Although no direct link was provided to download the software, the music record
industry took Heise to court with allegations of complicity for copyright
infringement and won.
The court did not agree with Heise's argumentation that
their articles and the hyperlink were protected by laws for the freedom of the
press. According to the court Heise intentionally provided "assistance in the
fulfillment of unlawful acts" and is therefore liable as "an aider and abettor".
The court also did not find it relevant that readers were also able to find the
product via a search engine. Rather, it ruled that providing a link made finding
the software "much easier".
April 11, 2004: Libbenga,
Jan,
Heise ordered to remove link to Slysoft.com, The Register:
"A Munich court has ruled that German news site Heise Online was wrong to
publish a link to Slysoft.com, a company that advertises software that can
play, copy and rip protected audio CDs."
Heidrich, Jörg,
Verlinken
verboten, c't:
"Dürfen Presseorgane auch nach der Reform des Urheberrechts weiter über eine
Software berichten, die den Kopierschutz von CDs und DVDs überwindet?"
April 5, 2005,
Urteil in Sachen Musikindustrie gegen heise online, Heise:
"In dem Rechtsstreit (Az. 21 O 3220/05) von acht Unternehmen der
Musikindustrie gegen den Heise Zeitschriften Verlag liegt seit heute das
schriftliche Urteil des Landgerichts München I vor."
March 7, 2005:
Münchner Landgericht verbietet Link auf Kopiersoftware-Hersteller,
Heise:
"Einen wichtigen Teilerfolg verbuchte der Heise Zeitschriften Verlag in dem
Verfahren von acht großen Unternehmen der Musikindustrie gegen den Verlag
vor dem Landgericht München I."
January 28, 2005,
Abmahnung
wegen Link, intern.de:
"IFPI Deutschland, der
deutsche Ableger des internationalen Dachverbands der Musikindustrie, hat
den Heise-Verlag abgemahnt."