Swedish Police Crack Down on File Sharing Site

But defiant Pirate Bay owners vow that nothing will change
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2008 5:00 AM CST
Swedish Police Crack Down on File Sharing Site
The team behind The Pirate Bay, one of the most popular file-sharing torrent websites in the world, has been charged with conspiracy to break copyright law by Swedish prosecutors. Music available free on the site the Beatles' hit song "Let It Be." (AP Photo/Robert Freeman- Copyright Apple Corps Ltd.)   (Associated Press)

Swedish authorities have taken action to sink Pirate Bay, one of the world's most popular file-sharing site, by leveling charges of copyright infringement against four of its administrators, DailyTech reports. Prosecutors allege the site, which boasts almost 15 million users, exploits copyrighted material like music and movies by collecting some $3 million in annual ad revenues for access to the media without paying any fees. Despite the charges, Pirate Bay remains defiant and is continuing to offer access to the material.

“In case we lose the pending trial (yeah right) there will still not be any changes," boasted the web site. "Pirate Bay will keep operating just as always.” The crackdown is part of a increasingly vigorous global movement by authorities to stop copyrighted material from being provided on the internet for free. One blogger suggested the BitTorrent supersite was targeted because of its impish attitude toward authority. If convicted, the site's owners could each face up to two years in prison. (More The Pirate Bay stories.)

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