Sure, I had not ruled out that Piratebay gang would be able to fold in the district court, but come on now, 30 million in damages?
Of course, one can argue that the damage the film and record companies suffered (if you choose the entertainment industry's view of things and do not add any responsibility at all companies that they ignored the customers' requirements and technical progress) is huge.
One can also argue that the Pirate Bay ad potential had been kollosal in the hands of an ambitious entrepreneur.
But the objections are obvious:
1) Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, neither had the business skills or the willingness to make himself wealthy on Piratebay.
2) What more should be prosecuted? Is broadband providers offering 100Mb-line to individuals in good faith, and in taking that they make money on illegal downloads? What about the manufacturers of DVD players, DVDs, MP3 players, burners? Should HP be prosecuted because they provided my stationary box with a 160GB media drive?
We also speak of an industry since the beginning of time trying to ban technological achievements: mp3 player, DVD, VCR, cassette tape, the use of pre-music in musicals, syntheseizers, music broadcast on radio and even the Hammond organ (!).
3) ruling do not achieve their aim - to deter the theft of copyrighted material. Torrent technology is neither fildelningsevolutionens end point or its peak. Those who still want to continue using it can safely make it easy to manage technologies such as this.
In the ruling, however, achieves is a huge generation gap and possibly a youth revolt that may be the strongest since 1968.
Between 11.00 and 17.00 were Piratpartiet 2 500 new members and counting. The Liberal Party goes on before Bolibompa is over and already has more members than the Left Party and Green Party together.
I feel ambivalent view it. Well, I think this is a hugely important area. IPRED, FRA, and all other small steps towards a hard supervised internet is a threat not only to democracy but also in the long run to welfare.
It bothers me also, as in Hollywood that he is to influence the Swedish legislation and law, and that the big company always should have won.
But is it good if Piratpartiet enter the Riksdag and the EU Parliament? Is it good if 5 per cent of MPs do not have, do not want, should not have a view of the Government or the issue of sakpolitiska outside the virtual world at all?
I am not so sure.