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PS6013 - Easydownload: Euro Content Ltd fined 960,000 euros for unfair commercial practices


PRESS RELEASE


PRESS RELEASE


EASYDOWNLOAD: ANTITRUST AUTHORITY FINES EURO CONTENT LTD 960,000 EUROS FOR UNFAIR COMMERCIAL PRACTICES

Company ordered to publish the Antitrust Authority ruling on the www.easydownload.info website registration and home pages at its own expense in order to put a halt to the prohibited practices. Over 5 thousand complaints received

Euro Content Ltd, owner of the www.easydownload.info website, is being fined a total of 980,000 euros for unfair commercial practices to the detriment of thousands of consumers. The Antitrust Authority decided to order the company to publish this ruling on its home page and website registration page to put an end to the unfair conduct.
The Antitrust Authority found that Euro Content Ltd, which is based in Frankfurt, used deceitful ploys and bridge websites to persuade consumers to use its website without explaining the fees being charged for downloading certain software programs that are usually available free of charge. These practices led consumers unwittingly to accept contracts they would not otherwise have accepted for 24-month subscriptions at a cost of 8 euros per month, requiring 96 euro prepayments by wire transfer for the first year.
As the Antitrust investigation revealed, Euro Content would not e-mail consumers a full explanation of the payment-based contract until they had already been 'hooked' and the time limit for exercising the right of withdrawal had already expired. If users refused to pay, the company would first protest that the 10-day time limit for withdrawing from the contract had already expired and then threaten to resort to legal actions and notify "credit agencies" of the default on payment.
According to the Antitrust Authority, Euro Content engaged in two distinct unfair commercial practices:  the first involved leading consumers to believe that the software could be downloaded for free, and the second involved the application of considerable psychological pressure by threatening non-payers with legal action.
The seriousness of this conduct is reflected in the extremely large number of complaints (over 5 thousand) received from individuals, through the Authority's Contact Center and from consumer associations (Codacons, Aduc, Altroconsumo, Adiconsum, Federconsumatori, Unione Nazionale Consumatori and Associazione Europea Consumatori Indipendenti).

Rome, 15th November 2010