Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Pirate Bay Founders Acquitted In Belgium

Posted by Soulskill on from the not-guilty-of-internetular-songslaughter dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A Belgian court has acquitted Pirate Bay co-founders Peter Sunde, Gottfrid Svartholm, Fredrik Neij, and Carl Lundström of criminal copyright infringement charges. They created the site in 2003, and were found guilty of similar charges in Sweden in 2009. The men have had continued legal problems since then, and one such case arose in Belgium for alleged copyright crimes committed between September, 2011 and November, 2013. However, since the founders have had nothing to do with the site since 2006, the prosecution couldn't make its case.

28 comments

  1. Yaargh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NT

  2. Can someone proof read? by Ravaldy · · Score: 0

    had continued problems legal problems since then,

    1. Re:Can someone proof read? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least they're reading the comments!

    2. Re:Can someone proof read? by Quok · · Score: 3, Informative

      You must be new here. This is Slashdot. Nobody proof reads summaries, or bothers to read the articles before launching into commenting, bickering, flaming, and trolling.

    3. Re:Can someone proof read? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I am actually under the impression that the "links" are just mouse-over effects and do not actually go anywhere in 80% of the articles. I check maybe 0.01% to look for images but I refuse to be a heretic and I never read the article. In fact, suggesting that I read it is an affront to my sensibilities and my culture. Do not oppress me!

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  3. Doesn't matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Constant legal harassment and a barrage of law suits is enough to make their life miserable, so it's not necessary to actually judge them guilty. That's how the modern system works.

    1. Re:Doesn't matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the power We the People grant to public officials in order that they may act in our best interests is abused? I'm shocked...

    2. Re:Doesn't matter by spiritplumber · · Score: 1

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... Countersue?

      --
      Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.
    3. Re:Doesn't matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Belgium is not a common law country

    4. Re:Doesn't matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even if had been it wouldn't work. In the cases I've heard of where someone from another nation tries to sue someone from a common law country the court defends their local companies/people.

    5. Re:Doesn't matter by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      That's a common law link you posted. I think most of continental Europe is on civil law.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  4. What is the story here? by tomhath · · Score: 1

    They convinced the the judge that they didn't commit the crime. Why is this "New for Nerds"?

    1. Re:What is the story here? by RandomFactor · · Score: 1

      Not sure if you're making fun of the repetition in the summary (since fixed) or if that was a mistake.

      --
      --- Mercutio was right.
    2. Re:What is the story here? by neo-mkrey · · Score: 1

      Would you prefer "Old for Nerds" instead?

    3. Re:What is the story here? by Quasimodem · · Score: 1

      News for Olds Nerds.

  5. CopyCrime by devloop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So what should be a simple CIVIL case of COPYRIGHT *INFRINGEMENT* is a criminal case?
    Should We also have Two Minute Piracyhate be mandatory at schools to indoctrinate future generations and prevent these hideous copycrimes?

    1. Re:CopyCrime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can't. The "cheer" song the kids would have to sing isn't licensed (i.e., public performance).

    2. Re:CopyCrime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My sarcasm sensor is tingling which is a bit surprising since the copyright industry is working hard to both get copyright infringement to be a criminal cases in some countries and to get anti piracy propaganda to be a part of the education.
      The rise of the Pirate Party didn't come out of nothing, it is a counter-reaction to politicians listening to copyright trolls and removing fundamental parts of the democratic system in their hunt for profit.

  6. yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    power to the pirates

    !

  7. What a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    The nation of Belgium has gravely displeased the Great Lord President Barack Hussein Obama, sovereign over the whole planet and regent of the universe. The history of Belgium is sadly about to come to a fiery end.

    1. Re:What a pity by Quasimodem · · Score: 1

      That's the Great Lord MPAA and His Consort RIAA, sovereign of the whole planet's cultural history, and due unreasonable royalty to everything from everywhen, in perpetuity.

  8. Ne bis in idem? by CanEHdian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What's going on here? First you try them in Sweden, then you try them in Belgium, next in France? Just when you think the powers behind the MPAA/RIAA couldn't sink any lower...

    --
    When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    1. Re:Ne bis in idem? by Megol · · Score: 2

      That's the standard procedure if someone is suspected of crimes in Sweden, Belgium, France.

    2. Re:Ne bis in idem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except they've still got a lot of countries to go.... the internet is global. The *AAs and their ilk can stretch out the court cases for the rest of their lives if they do it right. Basically the accused are fucked regardless.

    3. Re:Ne bis in idem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's make one of those IKEA chairs illegal globally for breaking and hurting someone! Now we can put Ingvar Kamprad behind jail for 1 year here, and then send him to the next country to have him 1 year there, and then the next, and the next, and the next, adding up to the 40 years (countries with an IKEA store)!

      After all, if we're going to think according to machine logic, we might as well execute the order to discourage globalization permanently. Build walls greater than china along every national border, end flights, and cook nukes to clean out the threat of legal shenanigans beyond the isolation.

  9. If this was the UK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually the prosecution failed to convince the judge. People are innocent until proven not to be corporations.

    A very similar and bizarre case of this happen in the UK, Anton Vickerman Surfthechannel.com, a links site to TV torrents. Here however the private prosecution was allowed to present evidence to the Judge WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF THE DEFENDANT.

    http://pastebin.com/WAUm4dbi

    A clear violation of the right to 'face your accuser'. So if Belgium had allowed the same thing, they could have presented lies as unchallenged truths to the Judge to bias him in his decision.

    It's worth the read of that case, it pisses all over UK law, and yet the case was allowed to continue. The Judge sentence on a "Conspiracy to Defraud" charge where no fraud had taken place, and no conspiracy had been shown, and that Judge still judges cases today.