Swedish Police Crack Down on File Sharing Site

File-sharing site team gets year in jail, must pay $3.6M to firms

(NEWSER) - In a big win for the movie and music business, four men behind the file-sharing service The Pirate Bay, including its two founders, have been found guilty of making copyrighted files available for downloading, CNET reports. A Swedish court sentenced each to a year in jail; the men must also pay $3.6 million to copyright holders like 20th Century Fox, Columbia and Warner Bros. Industry lawyers say they will also sue to get The Pirate Bay shut down. More»

Trade group wants its chunk of $7.8M acquisition

(NEWSER) - The music industry wants its money back from those copyright vigilantes at Pirate Bay, and now it sees a decent chance to get it, reports CNET. An industry trade group plans to go after the $3.6 million in damages awarded by a Swedish court now that a software company has announced it will buy the file-sharing website for $7.8 million. More»

Swedish group's membership up 215% after Pirate Bay case

(NEWSER) - Swedish pirates could soon be invading the European parliament, the Times of London reports. The Pirate Party, a political group whose sole aim is encouraging Internet copyright infringement, is poised to win several seats in next month’s elections. “The plan is Sweden, Europe, the world—in that order,” said the party’s top candidate. “This is a fateful question for Europe.” More»

(NEWSER) - One of the men convicted in the Pirate Bay file-sharing case is demanding a retrial, claiming that the judge is in cahoots with copyright-protection organizations, the Local of Sweden reports. Judge Tomas Norstrom acknowledges being a member of such groups but denies any conflict of interest. Last week, he found four men guilty of making copyrighted files available for downloading on their website. More»

(NEWSER) - Last week’s guilty verdict against the Swedes behind the Pirate Bay filesharing site not only hasn’t shuttered the operation—it’s boosted support for the cause of free information, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The affiliated Pirate Party, which advocates for copyright reform, has doubled its membership just since the verdict came down, becoming the fourth-largest party in Sweden. It’s our “ticket to the European Parliament,” the group’s leader said. More»