[A2k] Sweden could scrap file-sharing ban

[James Love]

http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=4024&date=20060609

The Local: Sweden's news in English
Sweden could scrap file-sharing ban

Published: 9th June 2006 10:36 CET

Sweden could introduce a charge on all broadband subscriptions to
compensate music and film companies for the downloading of their
work, while legalizing the downloading of copyright-protected
material, justice minister Thomas Bodstrom has said.

Bodstrom told Sydsvenskan that he could consider tearing up
legislation passed last year that made it illegal to download
copyrighted material. He said that a broadband charge was discussed
by Swedish political parties last year, but the Moderates and Left
Party rejected it. If they have changed their minds, he is willing to
discuss any new proposals they might have, he said.
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The Left Party said yesterday that they wanted to scrap the current
law because it had not reduced illegal file sharing. The Moderate
Party has said that the whole area of copyright law should be
overhauled to make it clearer, more effective and adapted to
technological developments.

"The most important thing for me is that authors and artists get paid
and I will never retreat from that," he told the paper.

"I have not changed my position, I still think that [the current law]
is the best option for two reasons: first, it would be unfair on
those who have subscribed to broadband and don't want to download,
secondly because it would mean that the government was setting the
price for goods, which I don't think we should do, whether those
goods are in a shop or on the net," he told TT.

"But if the Moderates and Left Party have made a 180 degree turn and
changed their minds completely, of course they can come and tell us
about it. But we had this discussion last year. If they now want to
find a completely new solution and have new proposals or ideas we
will naturally discuss them."

But he emphasized that he favoured the current rules, which he said
"has created a market, which would not have happened if we hadn't had
this law. It is now possible to buy a song for ten kronor, and that
is thanks to the new law."

Bodstrom said he had not been approached directly by the Left Party
or Moderates, and had only read about their proposals in the media.

TT/The Local