LUXEMBOURG—Reacting to recent reports that German law firm Urmann & Kollegen has sent thousands of warning letters to users of well-trafficked porn tube site Redtube, accusing them of illegally streaming copyrighted porn, the site has issued a statement strongly denying insinuations made in the media that it divulged user information, including, but not limited to, IP addresses, to third parties.
“Our security measures and user privacy has always been a top priority for Redtube,” said Redtube vice president Alex Taylor.
German news media has reported that the law firm is trying to extract payments of 1000 Euros in the letters sent to Redtube users, but observers are questioning the tactic as legally questionable due to the fact that, unlike with torrents or other P2P platforms, visitors to tube sites do not know whether the content they are watching via streaming is being provided legally or not. The fact that the firm was able to gain access to Redtube users' IP addresses, which it then used to acquire contact info from ISPs, also led some media outlets to question whether the tube site had provided the critical addresses. It was that unconfirmed allegation that Redtube is refuting.
The MindGeek-owned tube site also confirmed in a statement issued today that it has no affiliation or association with Urmann & Kollegen, that it has never supplied them with any information, and that it is actively pursuing an in-depth investigation into the allegations.
"Redtube pursues stringent privacy requirements and maintains the highest industry standards of privacy protection to secure not only their assets and properties, but to provide comprehensive protection of their customers’ data when visiting a Redtube owned site," stated the company.
A local lawyer representing people who received the letters says that they were sent as the result of "court error." The Local reported, "Cologne lawyer Johannes von Rüden represents hundreds of what he says is at least 10,000 people who were sent the legal letters and 'fines' from Bavarian law firm Urmann and Colleagues (U+C)."
Another lawyer, Cologne-based Christian Solmecke, "got in touch with many of those who received the letter. He has advised them neither to pay the €250-per-clip fine nor sign the cease and desist."
“From my viewpoint, the consumers did nothing illegal,” he said.
