Comment: The film and television industry should be ashamed – Dagens Industri

Bredbandsbolaget freed from the film and television industry’s demands to block pirate site The Pirate Bay. It is good. A conviction could have unreasonable consequences.

“A severe grades of Swedish justice,” wrote film and television industry, commenting on Friday’s tingsrättsdom where Bredbandsbolaget freed from the requirement to block file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. In fact, the opposite is true.

Ultimately revolved namely the now completed the trial on a much larger issue: Should a network be held jointly responsible for the crimes committed in its own network?

Yes, said the loose coalition of film, music and television companies that stood behind the lawsuit, including Warner Music, Nordisk Film and the Swedish Film Industry . By not actively block pirate sites like The Pirate Bay enables telecom operators breach of copyright for huge sums of money.

No, said Bredbandsbolaget, which was the subject of the action.

The district court went completely on the defense line. It should not really have to be obvious right from the start. The principle of net neutrality – that operators have neither responsibility for, nor anything to do with the traffic that moves in their network – are quite central to the idea of ​​a free and open Internet.

Logically it would otherwise keep Trafikverket complicit speeding. Or electricity companies for crimes where electronics is involved.

Broadband Company representatives also warned purpose sliding. A conviction would open the doors for all sorts of lobby groups require blocking of sites that are considered to cause injury.

Friday’s statement is good news for all those who cherish a free and open internet. This applies to both file-sharers by the companies in the fast growing digital economy.

Certainly it is important to protect upphovsrättshavarnas right to get paid for their work. But the battle will be fought – as it already does – with claims and lawsuits against individuals and companies. Or even better: simpler, better and more modern services that make piracy obsolete. Half of Swedes pay today for any kind of music streaming service such as Spotify. 2.5 million of us even pay for streamed movie, for example via Netflix or Viaplay.

It should be said that the battle is far from won. Right holders will appeal the district court’s ruling. But Friday’s statement is still good news for those who cherish the free and open web. This applies tonårsfjuniga file sharers as well as companies in the fast growing digital economy. Many of them have business models that largely rests on operators’ indifference to what goes on in their network.

The film and television industry representatives on the other hand every reason to be ashamed . To even think of putting nätfriheten on the line to protect their own, outdated revenue models suggest a direct unworldly attitude.