22.10.2006
Expressen: "Legalize filesharing!"
The election is over, a new government has been formed, and while Piratpartiet did not make it to the parliament, the Swedish filesharing debate continues in the media.
Newspaper Expressen demands in its
editorial today in no uncertain terms the legalization of private filesharing. The editorial refers to the two recent court cases that resulted in rather large fines for two filesharers. The newspaper considers it totally wrong that sharing a few songs or a movie on Internet is treated as serious a crime as sexual harassment or acts of violence in terms of punishment. Expressen notes that while harassment and violence cause real suffering to the victims, it is not clear at all whether there are any victims or negative effects following from filesharing.
Expressen goes through some history of previous legal battles where the copyright holders have tried to fight new emerging technologies, and how their doomsday scenarios have never happened despite the wide adoption of these new technologies - like audio cassette and video recorders - by the consumers. The newspaper is deeply worried about the impact that a strong copyright owner control over Internet would have on culture and many fields of new businesses. The editors consider the legalization of private filesharing a much better alternative and demand that movie and music industries should adapt into the digital era without any help from the state.