Prosecution Sees Setbacks in Day 7 of Pirate Bay Trial

STOCKHOLM — The prosecution continued to stumble in the case against the four men behind leading piracy and file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. The case has extended into its seventh day.

Acting as a witness for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry was attorney Magnus Mårtensson, who offered evidence that he had successfully downloaded music files using dot-torrent files gathered from The Pirate Bay.

But he ran into trouble when he had to reveal that his only evidence was a collection of screenshots he took of his actions. Defendant Gottfrid Svartholm Warg pointed out that Mårtensson had used no tracking software to record his activity.

The prosecution also once again downgraded its charges against the four defendants, Carl Lundström, Peter Sunde, Frederik Neij and Warg, dropping an earlier claim that a user must have "all of the Pirate Bay's components" in order to download files.

As of Day 2 of the trial, the prosecuting attorney had dropped half of the charges against the four defendants. The charges originally held the four responsible for "complicity in the production of copyrighted material."

Prosecutor Håkan Roswall has altered those charges to simply read "complicity to make [copyrighted material] available."

The four men behind the popular torrent file search engine The Pirate Bay are on trial in Sweden, accused of helping millions of users download all kinds of illegal content.

The defendants are looking at up to two years in prison and about $140,000 in fines (1.2 million kronor) if convicted.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC: Federal Report Confirms Unfair Banking Discrimination Against Adult Industry

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) today announced that a federal report on debanking has concluded that several U.S. banks engaged in discriminatory banking practices against members of the adult industry.

Pineapple Support Names Natalie Pereira Executive Assistant

Pineapple Support has appointed Natalie Pereira as its new executive assistant.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for October, November

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters by country in October and November.

FSC Summit Event Schedule Announced

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has revealed its slate of networking events and symposiums for its annual summit, set for January 15 during XBIZ 2026.

Pornhub Releases 2025 'Year in Review' Report

Pornhub has released its “Year in Review Insights” report for 2025, the 12th edition of the site’s annual statistics, data analysis, and infographic initiative.

Washington AV Bill Jumps on 'Health Warning' Bandwagon

A new age verification bill in the Washington state legislature would require adult sites to post notices warning users of alleged health risks, despite a previous federal court ruling against such requirements.

BranditScan Launches '25 Days of Christmas' Promo

BranditScan has launched its 25 Days of Christmas promotion.

MelRose Michaels Named Host of Online Industry Edition of XBIZ Honors

Performer and entrepreneur MelRose Michaels will MC the online industry edition of the 2026 XBIZ Honors, set for Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood.

Irish Regulator: EU States to Ramp Up AV Enforcement for Smaller Sites

A representative of Irish media regulator Coimisiún na Meán told legislators that Ireland and other EU states are preparing to expand enforcement of age verification regulations to include smaller adult sites, British newspaper The Times is reporting.

Sansyl Group Acquires Blue Donkey Media

Sansyl Group, parent company of AdultPrime Network, has acquired Blue Donkey Media B.V., owner of Dutch adult site Meiden van Holland, among several other erotic websites and television channels.

Show More