Sweden Might Toughen Piracy Punishments
https://sp-security.blogspot.com/2017/02/sweden-might-toughen-piracy-punishments.html
Swedish
authorities are considering the idea to address the problem of evolving
pirate websites. One of the mulled measures is to consider using
potential legal tools such as categorizing large-scale infringement as
organized crime, tougher sentences, domain seizures, and website
blockade.
The matter is that when the local copyright laws were first laid down, there was no such thing as Internet. Many developed countries had to introduce various amendments and interpretations to shoehorn the existing law to apply to the Internet. Now Sweden is also considering its options regarding the future prosecutions of large-scale copyright infringement cases. A review is currently underway, with the government accessing the powers required to deal with more serious cases of copyright violation.
So, what are new suggestions? First of all, it is treating pirate website operators not just as large-scale copyright infringers but as criminals, given the manner in which websites are organized and the subsequent development of revenue. The police explain that well-organized websites make infringement fast, easy, and both openly and more or less anonymous. Often, such site operators have a commercial motive, which is roughly comparable to organized crime. According to Swedish authorities, this has made copyright infringement more extensive, difficult to investigate, and harmful in relation to both copyrights owners, consumers, and society at large.
The current maximum sentence for online piracy in Sweden is 2 years of jail time. The United Kingdom, for example, is going to boost this to 10 years via the Digital Economy Act. In the meantime, many prosecutions have been carried out under fraud legislation in the UK in recent years.
Sweden decided to choose the same path and view pirate websites as platforms for commercial and organized crime to apply tougher sentences. At the moment, punishments in the country are usually limited to fines and suspended sentences. The country is also considering domain seizures and website blockade on the ISP level. At the same time, we can remind you that attempts to seize The Pirate Bay’s domains are still ongoing, while Internet service providers are digging in over demands to block the website.
Thanks to TorrentFreak for providing the source of the article.
Posted by:
The matter is that when the local copyright laws were first laid down, there was no such thing as Internet. Many developed countries had to introduce various amendments and interpretations to shoehorn the existing law to apply to the Internet. Now Sweden is also considering its options regarding the future prosecutions of large-scale copyright infringement cases. A review is currently underway, with the government accessing the powers required to deal with more serious cases of copyright violation.
So, what are new suggestions? First of all, it is treating pirate website operators not just as large-scale copyright infringers but as criminals, given the manner in which websites are organized and the subsequent development of revenue. The police explain that well-organized websites make infringement fast, easy, and both openly and more or less anonymous. Often, such site operators have a commercial motive, which is roughly comparable to organized crime. According to Swedish authorities, this has made copyright infringement more extensive, difficult to investigate, and harmful in relation to both copyrights owners, consumers, and society at large.
The current maximum sentence for online piracy in Sweden is 2 years of jail time. The United Kingdom, for example, is going to boost this to 10 years via the Digital Economy Act. In the meantime, many prosecutions have been carried out under fraud legislation in the UK in recent years.
Sweden decided to choose the same path and view pirate websites as platforms for commercial and organized crime to apply tougher sentences. At the moment, punishments in the country are usually limited to fines and suspended sentences. The country is also considering domain seizures and website blockade on the ISP level. At the same time, we can remind you that attempts to seize The Pirate Bay’s domains are still ongoing, while Internet service providers are digging in over demands to block the website.
Thanks to TorrentFreak for providing the source of the article.
Posted by:
SaM
extratorrent
