• Sweden edition
Business & Money

The Pirate Bay faces massive damages claim

Published: 8 May 08 11:50 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/11614/20080508/

The Motion Picture Association of the United States (MPA) has demanded 93 million kronor ($15 million) in compensation from file sharing site The Pirate Bay, Computer Sweden reports.

But Gottfrid Svartholm Varg, one of The Pirate Bay's co-founders, said the MPA's claims had no basis in reality.

"These are very well-developed fantasies. They have a good sense of imagination," he told The Local.

The MPA is basing its claim on the costs its members incurred as an indirect result of the illegal distribution of four films and one TV series - Harry Potter, The Pink Panther, Syriana, Walk the Line and the first season of Prison Break.

Earlier on Thursday, Computer Sweden also revealed that Sweden's Anti-Piracy Agency (APB) was set to demand 6.75 million kronor in compensation from the four people responsible for The Pirate Bay.

When APB formalizes its demands in an impending submission to Stockholm District Court, The Pirate Bay will be left with a potential bill for damages amounting to almost 115 million kronor.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has previously said it would demand 15 million kronor from The Pirate Bay for the illegal distribution of music files on the site.

APB's claim is partially based on what it refers to as a "hypothetical licence fee", a figure calculated to correspond to what the companies affected would have charged to make movies available on the internet in the same way as The Pirate Bay.

The remainder of the claim is based on the number of times the files in question were actually downloaded.

Pirate Bay founders Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde and Carl Lundström have all been indicted on charges of being accessories to breaking copyright law.

A date for the trial has not yet been set.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

Business & Money headlines
Sweden 'fails to help well-educated foreigners'

Sweden 'fails to help well-educated foreigners'

The white-collar union Saco has lambasted Sweden's Employment Agency for its failure to help well-educated, foreign-born job seekers, whose unemployment rate is more than three times the average for people born in Sweden. READ () »

Mixed results for Sweden refugee job push

Mixed results for Sweden refugee job push

Fifteen percent of refugees in Sweden who enrolled in the new establishment system the past two years have gone on to find jobs, new figures show, leading some observers to worry that the low success rate will place a burden on the benefits system. READ () »

Riksbank unveils new board members

Riksbank unveils new board members

Sweden's central bank has appointed two new board members plucked from banking and academia to replace two outgoing members, one of whom was an outspoken critic of the Riksbank's commitment to the government's inflation goal. READ () »

350 jobs lost as Ericsson shuts Swedish factory

350 jobs lost as Ericsson shuts Swedish factory

Swedish telecom giant Ericsson has buckled under the pressure of European competition and will turn off the switch on a cable production plant in Sweden, leaving 350 employees without jobs. READ () »

Sweden has 'lower tax burden' than Senegal

Sweden has 'lower tax burden' than Senegal

While Sweden has a reputation for having one of the most painful tax bills in the world, a new report ranks Sweden 20th when comparing the tax burden on salaries when social security payments and salary brackets are taken into account. READ () »

Ericsson probed over suspected bribes

Ericsson probed over suspected bribes

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson is suspected of having bribed ministers in Romania in connection with being awarded a contract for the country's emergency number and is now under investigation in the United States. READ () »

Warning over 'long-term' Swedish export slump

Warning over 'long-term' Swedish export slump

Sweden's largest business confederation has gone out guns blazing, criticizing politicians for not facing up to the challenges of "a lost year for Swedish exports" in 2012. READ () »

'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform'

'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform'

A Stockholm hospital saved from closure by private health care providers has been hailed by the Economist as one of modern's Sweden public-private success stories. READ () »

H&M mulls production in South America and Africa

H&M mulls production in South America and Africa

Swedish clothing giant H&M is looking into the possibility of sourcing its production to South America, Central America, and even Africa, chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said on Monday. READ () »

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Gas pipeline firm Nord Stream will hold an information meeting on the Baltic island of Gotland on Monday to introduce a proposal to extend its controversial gas pipeline project. READ () »

More Business & Money

Find a new job in Sweden now
23/05 Account Executive/Office Manager
Toolbox Marketing
Stockholm, STHM
23/05 Application Owner AX
Net Entertainment
Stockholm
23/05 Area sales Manager
Gemalto
Stockholm, STHM
23/05 E.ON are looking for a Regional Category Manager Elnät
Experis Sverige
SKÅ
23/05 Integration Engineer at Aditro
Aditro
Stockholm, STHM
23/05 Java Developer (Turku, Finland)
Academic Work
Turku
23/05 Manager Service Management Center
Telenor Sverige AB
Stockholm, STHM
23/05 Platform Engineer
TeliaSonera
Farsta
23/05 Product Manager
Safemind AB
Stockholm
23/05 Produktionsplanerare, Coca-Cola Enterprises Sverige
Coca-Cola Enterprises Sverige AB
Stockholm, STHM

ALL JOBS »


 
Latest Business & Money news from Germany
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE