Current law only allows them to question ISPs only if alleged copyright infringement claim could result in more than 2 years of prison time.
The Swedish parliament has approved a new law giving the film and music industry more power to track down illegal file-sharers.
The opposition Social Democrats voted with the center-right government, while MPs from the opposition Left and Green parties voted against.
“To stop file sharing a police state is required where all internet traffic is under surveillance. Is it worth it?” asked the Green Party’s Lage Rahm, according to The Local.
“We think copyright is important, but the problem is that it’s not right to criminalize people for what they do for private use.”
The legislation, which the government says is based on an European Union’s Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED), has been widely controversial. A new study from Lund University indicates that harder penalties for illegal downloading of copyrighted material will not encourage more users to stop.
However, Liberal Party MP Karin Pilsäter, who chairs parliament’s commerce committee, tells Swedish Radio News that laws should not be ignored just because people don’t want to follow them.
The new law goes into effect from April 1st.
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus
