Sweden's new policy poses a significant threat to illegal file-sharers. The new law--based on the European Union's Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED)--actually allows copyright holders to force ISPs (internet service providers) into coughing up IP addresses of users sharing copyrighted material via a court order.
Well, not exactly. The law that we have in Sweden is asolutely not the IPRED-law the EU-comission once wanted.
The original IPRED-law was originally designed to protect the fashion-business (Gucci and Prada) from cheap China knock-offs.
The comission wanted the shipping companies to deliver information about the Chinese corporations producing the fake stuff.
However, there was a certain Janelly Fourtou in the EU-parlament, who lobbied that "Chinese knock-offs" is essentially the same thing as all the pirated software floating around. She also thought that "shipping solutions delivering information about the source material" is the same thing as "ISPs delivering information about their little clients."
As it turns out, she is married to the CEO of Vivendi SA, a French media-conglomerate worth 57 Billion dollars.
WARNING: Long post, grab a cup of coffee.
But there was hope, the EU-comission denied her petition since it violated the "Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of personal data", a law that actually protects the little people.
Janelly's IPRED was essentially an entirely different thing than the original IPRED, the original IPRED never said anything about chasing kids with blowtorches, well maybe Janelly's didn't either, at least in clear text.
Although, the law was actually implemented in Spain, where it failed on the first trial. Yay! We have a precedent, the law failed!
But no.
Sweden implemented something close to Janelly's IPRED two days ago.
Actually, the only active parties that opposed the law was the Swedish green party and the left. And the Pirate Party, of course.
It'll be interesting how this turns out.
Footnote: GET ME OUT OF HERE!