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The Swedish anti-piracy law that came into force on April Fool's Day has not proven quite as effective a deterrent as anticipated. At the time, “The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) had promised a whole series of lawsuits. Six months down the road, still nothing,” reports the French daily Libération. The Swedish IPRED (International Property Rights Enforcement Directive) law entitles copyright holders and police representatives to obtain a court order requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) to reveal the IP address of any internaut suspected of illegal file-sharing. But to protect their customers most ISPs refuse to release that information.
Still, the legislation has not proven entirely in vain, according to IFPI’s chief executive: “Though the impact of the law has not been overwhelming, it has clearly had a dissuasive effect,” he told Libération. The Swedes are downloading less these days and some are opting for legal file-sharing sites. 100,000 users, however, have turned to IPREDator, a service offered by Pirate Bay for guaranteed anonymity on the web.
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