Now that the Pirate Bay trial is drawing ever closer, more and more mainstream news outlets are starting to report on the upcoming case, mostly with heavy anti-piracy bias.
Born in 1984 and co-owner of the Swedish ISP ‘PRQ’, the report says that Gottfrid, aka Anakata, has been interested in computers since he was just 6 years old and although he wasn’t with the ‘in crowd’ when he was growing up, many in cyberspace view him as a hero. As a fellow C64 veteran back in the day, I guess we have a slightly different perception of where the ‘in crowd’ actually was ;)
Now accused of conspiracy to break copyright law, Anakata has decided to speak out about “the battle against greedy corporate America.” He points out that under Swedish law, they have committed no crime as they do not directly transfer any copyright material themselves. The news report refers to many people across Stockholm “illegally downloading music and films”, actions which of course are down to those individuals, not The Pirate Bay. It is precisely this situation which leaves ‘The Four’ to genuinely believe they are operating within the law in Sweden.
Many organizations claim that sharing is the same as theft, something Anakata is happy to rebuff: “It’s not stealing, morally or legally” he said.
Of course, no mainstream news item would be complete without an attempt to suggest that The Pirate Bay Four are profiteering from piracy. As the reporter quickly skims through a pile of papers stacked taller than herself while sitting down, she glibly states that this evidence “seems to prove that The Pirate Bay is actually a multi-million dollar business with off-shore accounts and trust funds all over the world.” They would indeed, if they filled the site with spyware and malware ridden ads, but in reality they barely break even.
Also appearing in the clip is Ludwig Werner, CEO of Bonnier Amigo Music Group who thinks that as The Pirate Bay makes money from advertising, they are “just as bad as any Hollywood industry or major record company. It’s all about greed.” From a music industry boss, that’s an interesting comment.
The clip finishes up showing Swedish musician, Pernilla Andersson (apparently Sweden’s answer to Vanessa Paradis), who is by the reporters account, suffering at the hands of The Pirate Bay. I personally couldn’t find any of her work indexed on the site.
