The Germany issued a letter of advice to US soldiers and civilians stationed in Germany, warning them about the consequences of illegal file-sharing. The authorities advised those who are affected not to ignore the threat but instead to consult a lawyer first.

The rights owners have launched hundreds of thousands of lawsuits against suspected infringers in Germany with the last few years, demanding settlements up to thousands of euros. Such trolling attempts are more mainstream than in other countries and have already caught the attention of the largest Hollywood studios.

For instance, Warner Bros Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures are actively patrolling the worldwide web for people downloading their content without permission. If they catch someone sharing their work, they send him or her a settlement request of a few hundred euros. Such letters were received by US soldiers and civilians in the military community in Wiesbaden. This was expected by many, because file-sharing networks and pirate websites are often the only way to access recent US films and TV shows.

To inform people about the threat of legal action, the German authorities prepared an advisory document, reminding that unauthorized copying is against the law. The letter explained that downloading copyrighted content and making it available to the public through P2P file-sharing software is an offense in Germany and the file-sharer can be held responsible for damages to the rights owners under German copyright legislation.

The brief also contained an overview of how the illegal file-sharers were caught, and advised people to secure their Wi-Fi networks to prevent strangers from downloading copyrighted content through their connection. People who already got a settlement letter were advised to take it seriously. Most of the requests demand a few hundred euros in damages and legal charges. Affected American soldiers and civilians aren’t encouraged to pay up directly, but instead to seek legal assistance. The letter recommended not to communicate with the law company and not to sign any document, or to make any payments.

It is unknown how many American soldiers and citizens have been targeted, but it is clear that the letter wouldn’t have been drafted on the basis of an isolated incident.