The RIAA is still bashing American file-sharers over their heads with outrageous fines. Yet Sweden is now treating the matter like a parking ticket, if that. Just recently, a twenty-somethingfile-swapper received a 2,000 Swedish krona fine—roughly $311—for downloading 44 songs. That translates into about $7 per swap, a slap on wrist if it ever existed.
So, how does that compare to the latest penalties in the US? Well, the RIAA officially stopped chasing individual file-swapping cases in late 2008, though lingering litigation remains. The latest involves Jammie Thomas, whose endless legal battles now feature a $62,500-per-song penalty structure ($1.5 million for 24 songs). Separately, Joel Tenenbaum worked things down to a more 'reasonable' rate of $2,177 per track. But both markets—the US and Sweden—are suffering from severe recording industry losses.
The decision shifts the picture on Sweden a bit. In an interview earlier this month, UMG digital chief Rob Wells pointed to Sweden as an example of anti-piracy progress. That follows major convictions against Pirate Bay operators, and huge uptake for Spotify.
But the natives aren't exactly playing ball, at least the way Wells would like. “Swedish courts may be slowly coming to their senses regarding non-commercial violations of the copyright monopoly," Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge told Torrentfreak. “The verdict is in stark contrast to the political verdict in the Pirate Bay trial, where four people were sentenced to long prison sentences and paying 3.5 million euros for merely aiding in possibly sharing 33 works."
So, how does that compare to the latest penalties in the US? Well, the RIAA officially stopped chasing individual file-swapping cases in late 2008, though lingering litigation remains. The latest involves Jammie Thomas, whose endless legal battles now feature a $62,500-per-song penalty structure ($1.5 million for 24 songs). Separately, Joel Tenenbaum worked things down to a more 'reasonable' rate of $2,177 per track. But both markets—the US and Sweden—are suffering from severe recording industry losses.
The decision shifts the picture on Sweden a bit. In an interview earlier this month, UMG digital chief Rob Wells pointed to Sweden as an example of anti-piracy progress. That follows major convictions against Pirate Bay operators, and huge uptake for Spotify.
But the natives aren't exactly playing ball, at least the way Wells would like. “Swedish courts may be slowly coming to their senses regarding non-commercial violations of the copyright monopoly," Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge told Torrentfreak. “The verdict is in stark contrast to the political verdict in the Pirate Bay trial, where four people were sentenced to long prison sentences and paying 3.5 million euros for merely aiding in possibly sharing 33 works."
