Missing Pirate Bay Defendant Found Guilty in Copyright Case

Posted 10/14/2011 at 2:15pm | by Ryan Whitwam

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Back in 2009, the Swedish courts handed down a conviction to the operators of The Pirate Bay. Those three defendants were each sentenced to one year in jail, as well as a $1.1 million fine for contributing to copyright infringement. The trio have been appealing their case ever since, but a fourth defendant was not included in the initial verdict. Co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm was apparently too ill to attend trial, so his case was suspended. Now, the Swedish courts have gotten tired of waiting. 

Svartholm’s case was held without him, as no one was able to determine his current whereabouts. Svartholm was supposed to appear in court again last year, but he was reportedly in failing health, and hospitalized in Cambodia. Why Cambodia? Your guess is as good as ours. This new ruling by the appeals court upholds the guilty verdict for Gottfrid Svartholm, thus sentencing him in absentia. This ruling cannot be appealed.

Peter Sunde, one of the original defendants had harsh words for the court saying, “I think it’s kind of strange putting a guy into jail because he’s too sick to appear in court.” Sunde also expressed concern that Svartholm may be dead, in which case the trial was unnecessary. 

Sunde and the other defendants are likely headed for the Swedish Supreme Court, where he predicts a victory. We also feel the need to point out that the original 2009 verdict may have been in favor of the entertainment industry, but The Pirate Bay seems to be chugging along just like always.