Pirate Bay Takedown Sparks Lawsuits, More Drama
Posted June 16, 2006
A messy Pirate Bay crackdown by the Swedish police has just sparked a lawsuit. In its raid, authorities confiscated every server managed by Pirate Bay host PRQ, including those of other companies. According to rights watchdog group Center for Justice, ten IT companies whose servers were grabbed in the raid are now seeking damages for lost business. In a Wednesday filing with the Swedish Chancellor of Justice, the companies are seeking compensation ranging from $1,400 to $27,000. "These are small IT companies with one or a few employees," said Center for Justice lawyer Clarence Crafoord to the Expressen Daily. "Being shut down for a week could mean bankruptcy for them."
Over 200 businesses were affected by the raid, and the suit could expand significantly over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the Pirate Bay has just returned to Sweden, after serving from The Netherlands immediately following the raid. In a taunting poke at the MPAA and the Antipiratbyrn, the group triumphantly trumpeted its homecoming. "So the site took a trip to The Netherlands, but we got so homesick we just couldnt take it," the group noted on its website. "We had to go back to beautiful Sweden!"
