Greek Man Jailed After Decade-Old Torrent Site Case

A Greek man has been sentenced to five years in prison for operating a private BitTorrent site over a decade ago. The ruling marks an unprecedented crackdown on illegal file-sharing in Greece, signaling a shift towards stricter enforcement of copyright laws.

The 59-year-old from Piraeus also faces a €10,000 fine and €1,800 in legal costs. The case revolves around his involvement with P2Planet.net, a Greek BitTorrent community that thrived between 2011 and 2014. Despite its eventual shutdown and minimal financial gain for the operator, authorities pursued the case.

P2Planet: A Defunct Hub for File Sharing

P2Planet.net, once a bustling online community, boasted over 44,000 registered members and hosted around 14,000 torrents. Users primarily shared films, TV series, music, and software. The site struggled with hosting costs and frequent DDoS attacks, ultimately leading to its demise after a raid by law enforcement.

Authorities identified the man as the site’s administrator, seizing a hard drive for forensic analysis. Members commonly used the Azureus/Vuze BitTorrent client, which has since lost popularity.

Unprecedented Sentence Sends Shockwaves

The Court of Appeals in Piraeus delivered the harsh sentence more than 10 years after the initial investigation. This is reportedly the first instance in Greece where someone has been imprisoned for facilitating copyright infringement through BitTorrent.

The judge’s decision to immediately imprison the man reportedly stunned courtroom observers, highlighting the severity with which Greek authorities now view online piracy.

A Wider Crackdown on Copyright Infringement?

This case follows a similar action in Larissa, suggesting a coordinated effort to combat illegal content sharing. While streaming has become the dominant form of online piracy, peer-to-peer networks remain a target for law enforcement in several European countries.

Previously, the operator of greekstars.net and greekstars.co received a similar five-year sentence. However, that individual was imprisoned after attempting to relaunch the domains following a suspended sentence, according to TorrentFreak.

This ruling signals a strong warning to those involved in facilitating copyright infringement in Greece. It demonstrates that even activities from years ago can result in significant legal consequences.