Online video service Save.TV is claiming a major victory over media group RTL after the Higher Regional Court in Dresden ruled its online video recorder did not infringe copyright.
Independent experts appointed by the court in the six-year old case ruled the process in using Save.TV was akin to that of a regular analogue VCR. Users would go through an automated, customer initiated recording process to make copies of television broadcasts.
“Save.TV does not violate the reproduction rights of RTL. We are pleased that the Higher Regional Court Dresden has confirmed this central point. It is long overdue that this unnecessarily protracted debate has ended, which has committed to tremendous damage to the development of new technologies in Germany. So we are very confident that our shared position of renowned legal experts will be confirmed regarding the retransmission rights for the next step, “says Thomas Kutsch, president of Save.TV Ltd.
Kutsch said it could still tale another three years before the issue is finally settled in the Supreme Court, but added the victory against RTL marked an important milestone.
Save.TV currently gives users the ability to view over 43 German-language TV stations.
