Cinema pirate convicted: iPhone recordings lead to verdict order in Nuremberg

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The Nuremberg District Court has drawn a line under a series of copyright infringements in a landmark ruling, which have rarely occupied the criminal courts with such consequences in this form. At the center of the proceedings with the file reference 47 Ds 1532 Js 7/25 was a young man who used the darkness of the cinema hall to create high-quality copies of current cinema films with state-of-the-art consumer electronics. According to the decision available to heise online dated November 26, 2025, the court considered it proven that the defendant was not merely acting for private use. Rather, he was part of a commercial exploitation chain.

The details of the offense read like a case study on the possibilities and challenges of modern technology. Armed with an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a mobile tripod, the defendant specifically attended screenings of the films “Red One - Alarmstufe Weihnachten” and “Kraven The Hunter” at a cinema in Nuremberg.

While the rest of the audience watched the Hollywood blockbusters, he made digital copies. He then made these available to the operators of an illegal streaming website for a fee. According to the verdict, he thus fulfilled the elements of the offense of commercial unauthorized exploitation of protected works under Sections 106 and 108a of the Copyright Act.

Motive and Criminal Energy

The personal component and the resulting sentence are noteworthy in this case. The defendant, an academic who fled Ukraine in December 2023 with a completed degree in food production, had no prior criminal record.

Despite this clean slate and a partial confession in which he admitted his presence at the film screenings, the court was astonished by the sheer criminal energy. The judge emphasized in the grounds for the verdict: The defendant acted with full awareness to create a permanent source of income by passing on the illegal copies to third parties.

Cam Rips as an Old Problem

Legally, the verdict marks a turning point. The film industry has been complaining about financial losses due to so-called cam rips for years and has sought technical solutions, for example, to automatically track camcorders in cinema halls. In the past, however, such proceedings often ended in insignificance or were settled civilly.

The criminal conviction to a fine of 90 daily rates of 30 euros each – a total of 2700 euros – sends a message to the scene. The amount of the daily rate is based on the state benefits that the currently unemployed defendant receives. In addition, the convicted person had to agree to the informal confiscation of his iPhone, including the SIM card, and the tool of the crime, the tripod.

The proceedings also reveal the international dimension of internet piracy. The rights holders, Hollywood giants Warner Bros. Entertainment and Columbia Pictures, had not given consent for the recordings or their publication. The fact that the perpetrator sold the recordings to anonymous masterminds of a website that offered the films for free download to the general public illustrates the structure behind the supposed “free culture” on the net.

The film industry is Pleased

Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents many Hollywood studios, praised the German law enforcement authorities and the responsible prosecutor “for their decisive action against piracy at the source.” This ruling sends a clear message; she emphasized to heise online: “The unauthorized copying and distribution of films currently showing in cinemas is a serious offense that causes significant damage to the creative ecosystem.” Knapp expressed confidence “that such enforcement measures will help to disrupt the supply chain of illegal content and prevent future violations.”

Christine Berg, CEO of the Verband Deutscher Filmtheater (HDF Kino), also welcomed the decision as a “clear signal that illegal filming is not tolerated.” The damage caused by copyright infringements is immense, endangers jobs, and affects the entire film industry. Berg stressed to heise online: “Films are made for the big screen and deserve to be enjoyed in the best quality and legally.”

For the defendant, the verdict means not only a significant financial loss. He also has to bear the costs of the entire proceedings. However, it remains to be seen whether the Nuremberg verdict will serve as a precedent for future proceedings against cinema pirates who attempt to circumvent copyright with mobile hardware. An English court had already convicted a young man to 33 months in prison in 2014 after he illegally recorded films in cinemas, distributed and sold them online.

(mki)