Big Music defeat in Sweden
p2p news / p2pnet: The Big Four record labels have suffered a major setback in Sweden.
Their attempts to use a Data Inspection Board decision to run sneak attacks on Swedish music lovers have been foiled and, at the same time, assertions that they’re successfully intimidating file sharers have been discounted by one of their own ‘trade’ organizations.
EMI Group, Vivendi Universal, Warner Music and Sony BMG, the members of the Organized Music family, repeatedly say their relentless sue ‘em all attacks meant to terrorize people into buying ‘product’ are turning file sharers away from the p2p networks.
However, "We see no signs that illegal file sharing is declining," Helene Rönnmark, at the Swedish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), told Computer Sweden, quoted in The Local.
"Therefore we are planning a number of measures during the autumn and it is important that the public is aware of that.”
Last week the IFPI, along with MPAA clone Antipiratbyrån (APB), “was given the right to register the IP addresses of individuals found to be sharing copyright-protected material,” The Local continues.
“This gave the organisations an exemption from the Personal Data Act and was seen as a significant victory for APB and an indication that the hunt for illegal file sharers could proceed.”
But, “any satisfaction that the organisation derived from it will have vanished this week, with the news that APB must inform people that their IP address is being registered,” says the story, adding:
“If the ISP receives a request for such information from the police, they cannot refuse it, but a few calls from TT revealed that requests from APB would be ignored. ‘We don’t send out warning letters to our customers on anyone else’s behalf,’ said Jan Sjöberg, the press officer at Telia Sonera Sweden.”
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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 – Swedish music industry joins file sharing battle, October 20, 2005
IP addresses – Cartels zero in on Swedes, October 13, 2005
October 20th, 2005 at 7:15 pm
This exemption that APB got only last until the end of this year, after that I don’t know what will happen.
And by the way, right now there’s a pilot-case going on in Sweden, a young man is being prosecuted for making a movie available to others via Direct Connect. On the 25th of October verdict will be announced. If that is prison or a conditional sentence, a whole lot more prosecutions will be made, but if it’s only a fine, no more prosecutions will be allowed, as they will be considered to minor. And most of APB’s evidence consists of screenshots, so if the judge has any brains, Sweden will be a great place to live in once again
October 22nd, 2005 at 10:46 am
I thought they had until end of 2006, read it on IDG.se.
And for the ipadress part,when ever APB will logg a filesharers ipadress they have to notify the filesharer through mail that they are going to logg his ipadress.