CJEU weighs on liability of owner of internet connection used to infringe copyright
The face of someone keen to share their Wi-Fi password ... What can be the nature of the penalties and measures to be taken in copyright infringement cases? More specifically: Is it compatible with EU law to provide that the owner of an internet connection, through which copyright infringements have been committed, may escape liability thereof by indicating, without the need to provide any further details, a family member who has also had access to such connection? These were the issues at the centre of Bastei L�bbe , C-149/17 , a reference for a preliminary ruling from Germany. Background The referral was made in the context of litigation between Bastei L�bbe, a German phonogram producer, and Michael Strotzer, the owner of an internet connection through which an infringement was committed in 2010. The latter submitted that he had not committed the infringement himself and that his internet connection was sufficiently protected. He also argued that his parents, with whom he...