Swedish court convicts file sharer
6 May 2008 | 05:45 BST
Pirate Bay next
A SWEDISH COURT has convicted a file sharer who apparently allowed the distribution of 4,500 music files and 30 films on the Internet.
However, the movie and music industries have little to celebrate from the case of Andreas Karlsson.
The court only handed down a suspended sentence and a 10,000-kronor (US$1,655) fine. Even after Karlsson pays for the plaintiffs' court costs, which are set at around $5,000, he will have shelled out much less than the RIAA has been trying to wring out of its victims in the US. It has also taken the court nearly two years to come up with its verdict.
However the Anti-piracy agency Svenska Antipiratbyraan (SA) tried to stick the best spin on the case claiming that it was clear that the court considers Karlsson’s actions as serious. Quite how a suspended sentence equals 'serious' SA's statement did not say.
What is more interesting is that the case that is next up in Sweden. That will be the case of four people suspected of running shameless Sweden-based file sharing hub The Pirate Bay. µ
L'Inq
AP
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