US Government admits to helping the music business

According to the Washington Post, the reason Sweden acted against thepiratebay.com in an abortive attempt to shut the outfit down was only because of US government pressure.

Swedish authorities were hauled into an April meeting in Washington between the Swedes and the US government.

The State Department, the Department of Commerce and the US trade representative's office told visitors from the Swedish Ministry of Justice that it was harbouring one of the world's biggest Web sites for enabling the massive and unauthorized distribution of movies, music and games. MO< The Swedes carried out a raid which was about as popular in the country as a tax on sex. The site is still running.

Meanwhile the American government has also been opposing Russia's entry to the World Trade Organisation at the request of the anti-piracy groups, the Post says.

US government officials told the Post that it was in the national interest to work on behalf of Hollywood and other entertainment and intellectual property industries.

Assistant US Trade Representative Victoria Espinel said that the United States did not dictate on how other nations handle their border controls "but they need to have an effective intellectual property system for protecting our rights holders abroad."

The trade representative's office maintains a "priority watch list" of countries that do not adequately protect intellectual property rights. China and Russia top the most recent list.

Apparently the pressure has brought little change in China, home to perhaps the world's most prolific DVD and CD pirates. µ

L'Inq
Washington Post