Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Swedish ISP Attacks Copyright Trolls Over Trademark Infringement (torrentfreak.com)

Posted by msmash on from the pirate-attack dept.

An anonymous reader shares a TorrentFreak report: Swedish Internet service provider Bahnhof is launching a direct attack against Spridningskollen, the group that's spearheading the copyright trolling efforts in Sweden. Bahnhof accuses the anti-piracy outfit of trademark infringement and demands the shutdown of its website.Firm Spridningskollen, which is one of the top organizations that is helping rightholders in target Sweden plans to target 1,000 alleged pirates, offering them settlements of around $233. The report adds: Spridningskollen spokesman Gordon Odenbark compared the process with speeding cameras, where torrent users risk a 'fine' if they get caught. This will generate revenue, but could also act as a deterrent, preventing other people from violating rightsholders' rights. Interestingly, however, shortly after Spridningskollen announced its plans the group itself faced allegations of intellectual property rights violations. Swedish ISP Bahnhof is accusing the group of trademark infringement, noting that they have a claim on the "spridningskollen" mark. "Bahnhof was the first to apply for the Spridningskollen trademark rights at the Swedish Patent and Registration Office," the ISP announced.

19 comments

  1. Interesting timeline by pem · · Score: 1
    Spridningskollen.se was registered in May, and Spridningskollen.org was registered...

    this month.

    1. Re:Interesting timeline by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Hi, my is Spridningskollen and I vill be the von helping rightsholders in target Sweden, ja?.

      Unless 'target Sweden' is a plan name, in which case /. grammar still sucks.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    2. Re:Interesting timeline by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      That does not indicate when the trademark was applied for.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    3. Re:Interesting timeline by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 1

      Bahnhof erbjuder i samarbete med finska F-secure ett sÃkerhetspaket som effektivt skyddar dig frÃ¥n de hoten. Har du flera datorer kan du vÃlja âgrupplicensâ som ger dig tre anvÃndarlicenser

      Also ich verstehe nur "Bahnhof".

  2. No, no, it doesn't by pem · · Score: 2
    Because I thought Occam's Razor fully explained what the answer would be.

    But since you pointed out the paucity of my research, I went ahead and spent another 10 minutes on this. I found out that if you enter "Spridningskollen" in the box at:

    https://was.prv.se/VarumarkesD...

    you will, in fact, find out that the trademark was applied for on August 31st.

    I know nothing about Swedish trademark law, but most countries are not amused by this sort of stunt.

    You're welcome.

    1. Re:No, no, it doesn't by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      500 - Internal server error.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  3. Editors ! Edit ! FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please don't tell us what "spridningskollen" means. We obviously all know that.

    1. Re:Editors ! Edit ! FFS by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Google translate suggests 'dissemination protocols'.

      Catchy website name, I can see why they both want it.

    2. Re: Editors ! Edit ! FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'Dissemination Watch' would be more accurate.

  4. Let me guess... by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    Spridningskollen offered to settle for around $233?

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    1. Re:Let me guess... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the note says something like this.

      "We might have circumstansial evidence obtained in an undisclosed way which says you downloaded copyrighted materials belonging to our masters. Pay up 2000 SEK (~233 USD) or we will see you in court for a much higher amount."

      On their homepage they also mention that 15% of the fee goes to the ISP which gave them the subscriber information of the IP and apparently Telia jumped right on that.

  5. Ahh, one of those links by pem · · Score: 1
    Sorry bout that.

    Try here.

    Scroll down to "Swedish trademark database" and click the link first.

    Be warned that it's one of those websites that tries to put your browser to sleep.

    1. Re:Ahh, one of those links by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      I only meant to point out the difference between registering a web site and registering a trademark, which apparently the copyright troll did not do back in May. I don't know how much prior art applies in trademarks, but according to the summary, "Bahnhof was the first to apply for the Spridningskollen trademark rights at the Swedish Patent and Registration Office,". Before I posted my first comment, I was looking for a trademark registry site, but the ones I found came up with nothing. So, thank you for your assistance :-)

      Now, since the ISP does own the trademark, they do get to decide who can use it, right?

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re:Ahh, one of those links by pem · · Score: 1

      Now, since the ISP does own the trademark

      That assumes facts not yet in evidence. Yes, the ISP has filed an application, but they haven't yet been granted an actual trademark. I have no idea what will happen here, but a lot of courts and national trademark registrars would take a dim view of someone finding out that somebody else just started using a name, and then rushing out and trademarking it and claiming to the world that they were there first.

      they do get to decide who can use it, right?

      Copyright trolls like righthaven and prenda and this new Swedish one) need to die, but this isn't the right way to kill them.

      To the uninitiated (especially the uninitiated who conflate copyright law with trademark law, which the ISP is stupidly encouraging here by saying "nyah, nyah, nyah, you guys don't respect intellectual property so you have no moral standing"), the ISP's actions could look a lot like someone stealing an unreleased (or just-released) song and claiming they wrote it.

      It's really hard to imagine that the ISP just happened to come up with that name themselves, that they really had a plan to use it "in commerce" (which is, after all, what trademark law is all about), and that they had no idea the the troll was planning on using the same name. All of these things will come out in an official setting, and it won't be pretty, and it could set back the cause of fighting copyright trolls a bit, because it really makes the ISP look like it's run by douchebags.

    3. Re:Ahh, one of those links by Andtalath · · Score: 1

      Bahnhof are a bunch of pranksters.
      They do care about personal integrity though, since it's basically their USP.

      I did work there for a while, didn't really like the culture.

      But, yeah, this is a publicity stunt, which is what brings in customers to them.

      They have also criticized what is basically a tax on television by creating a fake tv-channel and lots of other stuff.

      They mock the judicial system when it's outdated or just weird regarding IT.

  6. Target Sweden by pem · · Score: 1
    "Target Sweden" is not a plan name, it's a proper noun. It's understandable that you didn't catch that because the editors didn't capitalize it properly.

    I'd tell you where it is, but then we'd have to move it.

  7. Bahnhof by muffen · · Score: 1

    It's a really good ISP and everyone I know who can use them, is using them. Their argument against this type of companies, who basically give themselves the right to ask random people for arbitrary sums of money, is spot on. Registering spridninskollen.org was a great move. However, the trademark thing is stupid and it won't result in anything negative for spridninskollen, and they should drop that part.

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

      Ich versteh nur Bahnhof...

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

      Und ich versteh nicht Banhof.