In recent days, many Danes have received letters from the law firm Opus accusing them of using online services to download pirated movies and TV shows, DR reports.

The law firm, acting on behalf of clients who own the rights to the material being downloaded, has ordered the accused to pay fines of up to 2,000 kroner or end up facing prison time.

Impossible to prove
Consumer lawyer Peter Fogh Knudsen, who operates forbrugerbloggen.dk, has now weighed in on the issue and doesn’t believe there’s anything to worry about.

“I know there are no defendants who have been convicted in such cases. On the contrary, Østre and Vestre High Court have acquitted consumers because they [the law firms] have been unable to prove that it was the recipient of the bill that made the illegal downloads,” he said.

Not to be ignored
However, the Danish Consumer Ombudsman, which is an independent public authority that surpervises companies and individuals regarding compliance with Danish marketing law, has warned the recipients of the letters that ignoring them could lead to penalty charges and the threat of debt collection.

“If you do not believe you have downloaded the film, immediately tell your law firm,” said Ulrika Folkmann-Schjerbeck, a senior consultant with the outfit.

“[If you ignore the letters] there is a risk that they will return and may impose penalty charges, and you may be threatened with debt collection and find yourself on the RKI register. We want to avoid the situation of consumers ending up in such a situation.”