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You want to watch films on the internet
What's prohibited?
- Internet file sharing. Films via bittorrent and apps like popcorn time are offered illegally. The following applies: Everything that costs money in a shop can't be free on the internet!
- You should avoid streaming portals such as kinox.to or movie4.tk. The films you can watch here are offered there illegally
- Posting links to illegal offers e.g. on Facebook or Twitter
This is what you can do:
- Media libraries of the TV channels. Here you can watch films, series and magazines that were previously on TV.
- Paid streaming portals. You can find numerous films and series on sites such as Netflix, amazon prime, sky ticket or Maxdome. You pay a certain amount for this every month. However, the films and series aren't always the most up-to-date.
- Pay TV channel with costs. You can find current films and series here. You conclude a contract with the company, e.g. Sky. The contract usually runs for two years and can be expensive. This is what you should look out for.
You want to download computer games on the Internet
What's prohibited?
- Swap meets. Other users offer computer games illegally here. You can tell because you have to pay for the same games in the shop.
This is what you can do:
- Buy computer games in the shop. There are also shops that sell second-hand computer games for a reasonable price.
- Buy computer games on the Internet. You can also find cheap, second-hand games via eBay or amazon marketplace. Make sure the seller is selling you the original game and not an illegal copy.
- Buy computer games on gaming platforms. On online platforms such as Origin, Steam, uPlay, you can buy games legally and download them directly. Sometimes there are also good deals here
You want to download music and audio books on the Internet
What's prohibited?
- Swap meets. MP3 and other audio files are offered here illegally. You can tell because you have to pay for these audio books and music CDs in the shop.
- Burning an illegal CD. If you burn protected music files, films or audio books onto a CD and distribute them, this is also prohibited
This is what you can do:
- Internet pages of the music bands. Sometimes bands offer their music for free on the internet. You can recognise this by the fact that they've allowed downloading on their websites
- Internet radios. Here you can listen to music for free. You can even legally record music with certain computer programmes.
- Buy audio books online. On audible or amazon, you can find a large selection of cheap and legal audio books
What happens if you get a warning:
Various law firms issue warnings for copyright infringements. They demand a cease-and-desist declaration and the payment of a large sum of money. You shouldn't ignore these letters. If you get one, you should definitely seek advice from a lawyer or a consumer advice centre!
Information and advice centres are available at: verbraucherzentrale.de
