Trial of The Pirate Bay interests a readership estimated at 22 million.
Plaintiffs in the case include Warner Bros, MGM, Colombia Pictures Industries, 20th Century Fox, Sony BMG, Universal and EMI.
BBC coverage includes the claim by a lawyer representing media firms, also aired on Channel 4 News, that “four individuals have conducted a big commercial business making money out of others’ file-sharing works, copyright-protected movies, hit music, popular computer games, etc.”
Features an audio clip from the World Service, in which Rick Falkvinge makes a case for regarding file sharing as a public lending right, like libraries.
Also, that the online surveillance required to enforce copyright holder’s property rights leads to a police state.
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Out-law reports:
‘Prosecutors have been forced to drop their more serious charges against file-sharing links site The Pirate Bay in a dramatic climbdown in the closely-watched trial in Sweden. Around half the charges have been dropped. Prosecutors have had to drop the more serious charge of ‘assisting copyright infringement’ and try to prosecute the men on the charge of ‘assisting making available copyright material’, according to news reports from the trial today.’
Additional detailed commentary from one of Pinsent Masons IP lawyers Struan Robertson on how the Swedish case may affect case law in the UK.