• Sweden edition
Business & Money

Supreme Court denies Pirate Bay right to appeal

Published: 1 Feb 12 10:10 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/38844/20120201/

The Swedish Supreme Court (Högsta Domstolen) will not grant the right to appeal in the Pirate Bay case, the court announced on Wednesday.

”This ruling is absurd. I am disappointed that the court is so uninterested to dissect and look through all the legal comings and goings in one of the world's most watched court cases of all time,” said Carl Lundström's lawyer Per E Samuelsson to daily Dagens Nyheter (DN).

Lundström, along with Gottfrid Svartholm WargPeter Sunde and Fredrik Neij were convicted in April 2009 on charges of being accessories to copyright violations. they were sentenced to a year's imprisonment apiece and a combined fine of 30 million kronor ($4.4 million).

All four appealed their sentences, with the Svea Court of Appeal ruling in November to uphold the convictions, with the exception of Svartholm Warg who was absent due to illness.

The appeals court however reduced Lundström's sentence to four months and increased the damages to a total of 46 million kronor.

Since Svartholm Warg missed the hearing, the court never reviewed his case and as the time allowed for him to petition the court to hear his appeal expired, the original sentence handed down in 2009 has become legally binding.

It gained legal force in October last year.

The three remaining pirates then petitioned Sweden's Supreme Court for leave to appeal.

But on Wednesday, the court announced that the defendants' request had been denied and that the appeal's court sentence therefore will stand.

”A society ruled by law has now had its say and this is a breaking point in a drawn out discussion about copyright on the internet. The highest court has made it clear that anyone who takes any part in these crimes, even those who supply the internet connection, will have to face up to their responsibility,” said Henrik Pontén, legal counsel for Sweden's Anti-Piracy Bureau (Antipiratbyrån), in a statement.

Pontén flagged the imminent action against some 150 illegal file-sharing services with ties to Sweden.

”Legal action will be taken against anyone who contribute to these offences in any way,” said Pontén to TT.

The sentenced pirates have requested that the Supreme Court would wait for a preliminary ruling but the court wrote in its ruling that ”there are no such doubts regarding the interpretation”.

”This was highly surprising from a legal aspect. Everyone knows how hard it is to be granted the leave to appeal in the Supreme Court. But if any case would get the leave to appeal, I would have said it was this case,” said Jonas Nilsson, lawyer for Fredrik Neij, told TT.

Founded in 2003, The Pirate Bay made it possible to skirt copyright fees and share music, film and computer game files using BitTorrent technology, or peer-to-peer links offered on the site. 

TT/Rebecca Martin (news@thelocal.se)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

12:29 February 1, 2012 by Coaxen
"A society ruled by law" ? More like a society ruled by corporations.
12:46 February 1, 2012 by hipersons1
I'm sorry, this is unclear. Were they looking to be acquitted based on the interpretation of the law, or were they looking for constitutional review, i.e. the court to rule on the constitutionality of the law?
12:51 February 1, 2012 by Åskar
Not unclear at all. The Swedish Supreme Court has nothing to do with the constitutionality of laws, only the interpretation.
13:43 February 1, 2012 by Reason abd Realism
@ Coaxen

If your paycheque is in any way related to the creation or distribution of original content in the information age, a business sector which is an increasingly large part of the world and Swedish economy, then you would applaud this ruling.
15:21 February 1, 2012 by Liquidmonkey
"a society ruled by law" that is written by rich corporations who don't care at all for the common person.

this is disgusting!!
18:25 February 1, 2012 by Ranger
The Swedish court system is Corrupt. That includes the city courts, the courts of appeal and the supreme court all filled with incompetent employees and criminals who take bribes and falsify documents. There is no true justice in sweden.
21:17 February 1, 2012 by grov_kvinnofridskrankning
yep sweden is more corrupt then the US. no doubt.
18:25 February 3, 2012 by Lotus2035
I'm assuming that all Pirate Bay users are unemployed right?

Because if they were employed, it would be beyond hypocritical for a Pirate Bay user to go to work and expect to get paid.

Or do they think that their time is more valuable than the time of others?

Not all of the content on Pirate Bay comes from huge faceless corporations.

This idea is simply a LIE that people knowingly tell themselves to justify their selfish behaviour.

What it really comes down to is the fact that with each generation we are sliding further into a welfare-state mindset were people think that they deserve everything WITHOUT MERIT.
07:46 February 6, 2012 by Reason abd Realism
Agree with Lotus2035.

In the information age, the buying and selling of digital information and creative content is an essential part of the economy. And in fact even big faceless corporations deserve to get compensated for the products they sell.

The Pirate Bay crowd mostly pretends to be against cencorship. When was the last time a Pirate Bay supporter posted a comment about Burma or the occupation of Tibet on a Swedish blog and had it removed by the Swedish government?

At the end of the day most of these Pirate Bay supporting adolescents (morally, if not also biologically) are simply and selfishling interested in acquiring movies, songs, books etc.. without paying for any of these.
14:10 February 6, 2012 by philster61
if these were Swedish women, then they would not just be acquitted but most likely praised for standing up to Male dominated corporate oppression........
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Business & Money headlines
Saab CEO 'spied upon' during Swiss Gripen talks

Saab CEO 'spied upon' during Swiss Gripen talks

The CEO of Swedish defence contractor Saab claimed on Friday his phone had been bugged during talks with Switzerland about Saab's sale of 22 Gripen fighter jets. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Three Swedish banks downgraded by Moody's

Three Swedish banks downgraded by Moody's

Moody's Investors Service on Thursday downgraded its long-term ratings on three Swedish banks, believed to be at risk if the European financial crisis deepens. READ (9 COMMENTS) »

Police suspect theft after surprise cash 'windfall'

Police suspect theft after surprise cash 'windfall'

A woman is suspected of theft after she dropped a stash of 1,000 kronor ($140) banknotes in southern Sweden and then fled the scene, while local residents rushed in to gather the loot that was blowing in the wind. READ (3 COMMENTS) »

Cheap Norway nappies smuggled via Sweden

Cheap Norway nappies smuggled via Sweden

A gang of Lithuanian diaper smugglers is using Sweden as a transit country to ferry cheap nappies bought in Norway for resale at a stiff markup in eastern Europe. READ (17 COMMENTS) »

Nine of ten tourists 'happy' with Sweden

Nine of ten tourists 'happy' with Sweden

Nearly 17 million foreign tourists visited Sweden in 2011, and almost all of them enjoyed their stay, according to a new report. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Armed thieves escape after highway chaos

Armed thieves escape after highway chaos

Police are searching for the men involved in a dramatic highway robbery in Stockholm on Tuesday night, in which one car was stolen at gunpoint and an armoured transport vehicle was rammed. READ (9 COMMENTS) »

Arla looks to milk UK, German dairy mergers

Arla looks to milk UK, German dairy mergers

Swedish-Danish dairy giant Arla plans to merge with both a German and a British dairy cooperative in a bid to become the largest dairy company in the UK. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

Swedish airline Skyways files for bankruptcy

Swedish airline Skyways files for bankruptcy

Swedish budget airline Skyways Express has cancelled all flights after it and its City Airline subsidiary filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday morning. READ (3 COMMENTS) »

Sweden drifting from 'Swedish model': report

Sweden drifting from 'Swedish model': report

Sweden's historically generous social safety net isn't as robust as it once was, according to a new report, which reveals Sweden has fallen below the average for many other developed countries when it comes to various types of social insurance. READ (41 COMMENTS) »

Swedish printer in South Africa banknote fiasco

An error involving a Swedish printing press has turned into a very expensive headache for South African central bank officials who have been forced to destroy millions of dollars' worth of faulty banknotes. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

More Business & Money

Highlights from Follow Sweden

Meet Sanna, 9 years old

Sanna is one of 2 million people in Sweden under the age of 18. Sweden is seen as a good place to grow up. The law makes sure children are well-protected and defends their rights and any organizations work with children's well-being. Read more »

Strindberg, king of drama

August Strindberg's plays shocked society, dazzled audiences and revolutionized drama. A century after his death, Strindberg, with his powerful, timeless themes, is celebrated around the world. Read more »


Find a new job in Sweden now
26/05 Data architecture and delivery manager
Klarna
Stockholm
26/05 Experienced SAP Consultant
IBM
Göteborg
26/05 Healthcare & Life Sciences
IBM
Göteborg
26/05 Manager, SMB Sales (Nordics)
Google
Stockholm
26/05 Nordic Inside Sales Specialist
IBM
Göteborg
26/05 SAP Consultants
IBM
Göteborg
26/05 Web developer
Klarna
Stockholm
25/05 Ansvarig Säljare för Utomhusbelysning
GE Home & Business Solutions
Danderyd
25/05 Ansvarig Säljare för Utomhusbelysning
GE Home & Business Solutions
Stockholm
25/05 Automation Engineer
Bombardier Transportation
Västmanland

ALL JOBS »


 
Latest Business & Money news from Germany
Volunteer Venture
Volunteer Venture is dedicated to promoting community tourism by welcoming volunteers and travelers to discover the cultural differences in Nepal as English teaching volunteers, orphanage volunteers, Monk teachers and many more
www.volunteerventure.org/
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
English Speaking Therapist Stockholm
British-Australian Male Counsellor. Counselling Therapy for Depression, Mental Health, Sex, Relationship & Expat Issues
08-559 22 636 or CLICK HERE
Doctor of Psychology
Therapy in English in Stockholm Trained in California Individuals & Couples (08) 93 81 48 FREE phone consultation
Visit anxiousorblue.se
Turning Point Counseling
Turning Point Counselling centre offers the international community of Stockholm a safe space for personal development, counselling and coaching.
http://www.turning-point.se/show.asp
Swedish Down Town
Swedish Down Town PR Consulting and Productions is an innovative business company which provides valuable assistance with Public Relations and Communications in the Swedish and the international market.
www.swedishdowntown.com
QUALITY ACCOMMODATION ON SWEDISH HIGH COAST
Comfortable Fully Serviced Apartments for Leisure or Business Travel Beautiful surroundings. Internet & Sat TV
www.oldriverhouse.se