Fergie's Tech Blog

Sweden: Politicians Smell Votes in Pirate Bay Debate

Ivar Ekman writes in The International Herald Tribune:

The Jolly Roger-waving, pro-piracy demonstrators are no longer in the streets here, but the police raid in late May on the popular file- sharing Web site, The Pirate Bay, is still making waves, increasing pressure on politicians to reform Sweden's copyright laws.

The fallout from the May 31 raid on The Pirate Bay has made clear just how widespread and deeply entrenched file-sharing has become in Sweden. Online forums have been filled with protests against the raid, and a pro-piracy demonstration in early June drew close to 1,000 people. A poll published in early June showed that three out of four Swedes between 18 and 21 supported file-sharing, even if it was illegal.

With parliamentary elections coming in September, five of the seven major Swedish political parties have in recent weeks expressed a will to take a new look at the Swedish copyright laws, which, in accordance with an EU directive from 2001, makes unauthorized downloading or uploading of copyright-protected files illegal.

posted by Fergie @ 6/18/2006 09:41:00 AM