Cartels zero in on Swedes
p2p news / p2pnet:- Swedish ISPs and their clients are once again to be targetted by the music, movie and software cartels.
The country’s Data Inspection Board says it’s OK for the companies to again start collecting information about people they think may be sharing copyrighted ‘product’ online.
The DI had earlier ruled that the cartel-owned APB (Antipiratbyrån) and IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry) broke privacy laws because they’d been collecting personal information without permission, says The Local, continuing:
“It had also decided that collecting information about illegal spreading of material was forbidden because only government authorities are allowed to keep registers of criminal offences.
But the board now says both organisations “can have an exception from the law, and will therefore be allowed to re-start collecting information about file-sharers IP addresses.
Collecting IP numbers doesn’t constitute an “undue infringement of personal integrity,” DI argued in a press release, says Thew Local, which has APB boss Björn Gregfeldt saying, “We can restart our operations pretty much immediately, and maybe now we’ll be able to persuade internet service providers that they have to take this problem seriously.”
Sweden’s first file sharing trial has just ended with more questions than answers.
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win
- Mohandas Gandhi
Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local political representatives. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance.
See:-
The Local – Green light to chase file-sharers, October 13, 2005
file sharing trial – Swedish file share farce, October 12, 2005
October 13th, 2005 at 3:55 pm
“But the board now says both organisations âcan have an exception from the law,”
They must’ve gotten advice from Orin Hatch.
Will the Sweeds take this to court??
October 13th, 2005 at 5:07 pm
Amke the cartel tramp through the snow in order to reach filesharers. Go FreeWan.
October 14th, 2005 at 6:06 am
“But the board now says both organisations “can have an exception from the law…”
Sounds like the swedes need to ask for an “exception from the law” too. I mean why not? Why should only the cartels get them?
October 15th, 2005 at 9:55 am
How the article is put sounds like APB have the rights to do whatever they want, but thats not the case, they are carefully watched by DI. And its also not mentioned that this exception lasts to the end of 2006, its kind of a “test”.
And about the file sharing trial in Sweden, the trial has ended and everyone is waiting for the judgement, which will come on 1 or 2 weeks…
October 16th, 2005 at 2:00 pm
Furthermore, this also means responsibilities that AntipiratbyrÃ¥n and IFPI MUST adhere to, as do the Swedish government. AntipiratbyrÃ¥n and IFPI MUST give out the information gathered about a person if the person asks them, and the MUST do so free of charge within a month. Else the fail to adhere to the law they are now following. And since they are gathering IPs that they cannot connect to any person without contacting ISPs (who are forbidden by law to give out such information even to the police and, even more so, private organizations, if the punishment is less than two years prison, something common filesharing probably wont result in (though we await the rulings from said case)). This still means the IPs should be considered person information and should eb treated this way. There is thus no way that APB and IFPI could ever follow the requirements the now must adhere to and as such, this could rather be a real setback to APB and IFPI than a victory. It is also recommended that they inform people that they are about to take this information about them and that they also do it before taking the info, something that also shouldn’t be very positive in their point of view.
Also, this exception only allows them to gather information about people uploading copyrighted material. It does not allow them to do it on people downloading such material, which means that we are back on the same square as we were before.
When considering all of this and what an earlier poster said, this probably means either absolutely nothing or even could be a setback to APB and IFPI.