Just days after Norway’s data protection department told ISPs they must delete all personal IP address-related data three weeks after collection, it’s now become safer than ever to be a file-sharer in Norway. The only law firm with a license to track pirates has just seen it expire and it won’t be renewed.
Norway’s data protection department has indicated that ISPs must delete all personal IP address-related data just 3 weeks after collection. The instruction, initially given to two ISPs but applicable to them all, means that it will be incredibly difficult to take action against file-sharers.
The recently implemented IPRED legislation in Sweden makes it easier for copyright holders to identify and go after alleged illegal file-sharers. Up until now the same hasn’t been easy in Norway, but all that is set to change as the country’s telecoms regulator says that file-sharers identities can be given to copyright holders.
Two weeks ago the music industry, headed by the IFPI, gave Norway’s largest Internet provider ‘Telenor’ an ultimatum; block access to The Pirate Bay within 14 days or we will take you to court. The ISP has now announced that it wont give in to IFPI’s demands, lawsuit or not.
The trial of The Pirate Bay has not gone by unnoticed in Sweden’s neighbor country, Norway. The IFPI has ordered the largest ISP in the country to block the site, while on the other hand Norway’s Minister of Education is critical of the music industry, and wants to legalize (illegal) file-sharing
Norbits, the largest Norwegian BitTorrent tracker is going through some rough times. For several days now, the site has been offline due to a DDoS attack. The site has allegedly been hacked by a group called MORRADi, which is threatening to publish all IPs and more information on the users, unless the tracker is closed.
At the end of March we reported that the MPAA’s pirate-chasing lawyer Espen Tondel sent a letter demanding that Norwegian ISPs disconnect file-sharers from the Internet. Unfortunately for him, the ISPs aren’t going to comply and have issued a letter in response, refusing to break the law to please copyright holders.
After being blown off by the Norwegian police, MPAA lawyer Espen Tondel is now demanding that ISPs disconnect Norwegian file-sharers from the Internet. According to IKT Norway, an interest group for ISPs, the lawyer has sent a letter to Norwegian ISPs on behalf of The Norwegian branch of the MPAA.
With the BitTorrent world spinning on its heels after the shock takedown of the huge OiNK tracker, there are now indications that the shutdowns may continue. According to the lawyer who lost against ‘DVD Jon’, next stop is Norway and raids are imminent.
