The Stockholm District Court has ruled in favour of ISPs Telenor Sweden and Bredbandsbolaget in a case about video piracy.
The court ruled that internet service providers are not complicit in crimes carried out on the web, and so ISPS do not have to block sites such as The Pirate Bay and Swefilmer.
The court said in a statement: “The District Court considers that Bredbandsbolaget’s operation and conduct in the present case does not constitute participation under Swedish law.”
Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, Nordisk Film and the Swedish Film Industry started legal proceedings against Swedish ISP Bredbandsbolaget, a division of Telenor Sweden.
The copyright owners have said they will appeal against the ruling. Telenor Sweden’s chief legal counsel, Anna Bystrom, said the company expects the Court of Appeal will rule in its favour. The studios have until December 18 to file an appeal.
Earlier this month, Patrik Hofbauer, CEO of Telenor and Bredbandsbolaget, and Anna Bystrom, company legal counsel, warned that an adverse ruling could put the model of a free and open internet at risk.
“When a judgment becomes precedent a trial is about so much more than an internet service provider and two controversial websites,” the executives said.
“If the media companies are given the right it will lead to absurd consequences and Internet subscribers will ultimately end up using a severely censored internet.”
