TorrentFreak

A file-sharing prosecution that has been dragging on for six long years has finally come to an end. The original complaint, filed by the Portuguese Phonographic Association in 2006, targeted a then 17-year-old. Now 23, their target has just received a suspended jail sentence and a fine of 880 euros. None of this has helped the country’s music industry – physical product sales nosedived more than 34% last year.

Rights holders often take extreme measures to combat piracy, but that a Government institution creates a ‘pirate’ honeypot is quite exceptional. In Portugal, a collaboration between a Ministry of Culture affiliated organization and the local music industry has resulted in a protocol that calls for such a honeypot, in order to shame, scare and threaten those who download music without authorization.

Wearing “Piracy is Illegal” T-shirts and carrying several boxes of complaints against file-sharers, a group of movie industry representatives showed up at the Attorney General’s Office doorstep in Portugal this week. By clogging the judicial system they hope to raise awareness of widespread online movie piracy. However, this ideal may backfire as the local Pirate Party believes that the actions of anti-piracy activists may very well be illegal.

After court cases in Denmark, The Netherlands and Italy, The Pirate Bay is now involved in a legal procedure in Portugal. ACAPOR, a Portuguese organization which represents the interests of local movie rental companies, has filed a complaint with the Portuguese Ministry of Culture to demand Internet providers block customer access to The Pirate Bay.

Last week, the Portuguese Ministry of Culture decided to shut down or block 28 file-sharing sites. The original complaint came from local anti-piracy outfit MAPiNET. In what appears to be a revenge attack, hackers targeted their website and diverted it to some of the world’s biggest torrent sites.

In the first conviction of a file-sharer in the country, Portuguese authorities have handed down a harsh sentence of 90 days imprisonment in order to “set an example”. The unnamed individual faced court after the Portuguese version of the RIAA issued a complaint about unauthorized uploading.