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 © 2026 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

Syren De Mer, Eddie Patrick Cap AEBN's Top Stars for 1st Quarter of 2026

AEBN has revealed its most popular performers in straight and gay theaters for the first quarter of 2026.

Report: Irish Regulator Seeks 'Industry Input' on AV Compliance

Irish media regulator Coimisiún na Meán (CnaM) will draw on “industry input” to help establish a framework for assessing platforms’ compliance with Ireland’s Online Safety Code and the EU’s Digital Services Act, news organization MLex reports.

'iDealgasmPlus' Launches Through PAYSITE

iDealgasmPlus.com has officially launched through PAYSITE.

Canadian Senate Approves National Age Verification Bill

Canada’s Senate on Wednesday passed bill S-209, the “Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act,” which would require commercial adult websites to verify that Canadian users are at least 18 years old.

Sara Jay Relaunches Site Through PAYSITE

Sara Jay has relaunched her membership site, WydeSyde, through PAYSITE.

European Commission: Age Verification App Ready For Use

The European Commission’s age verification app is now technically ready and will soon be available for EU citizens to use in order to prove their age when accessing online platforms, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Tuesday.

UK House of Commons Moves to Tone Down Porn Amendments

The House of Commons has modified amendments to the U.K.’s pending Crime and Policing Bill, including provisions regulating “step” content, content featuring adults role-playing as minors, and performers’ ability to withdraw consent.

AEBN Reveals Ariel Demure as Top Trans Star for Q1 of 2026

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the first quarter of 2026, with Ariel Demure landing atop the leaderboard.

Final IRS 'No Tax on Tips' Rule Excludes Pornography

The Internal Revenue Service on Monday published final regulations on the “No Tax on Tips” provision included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” offering new tax deductions for tip workers but excluding revenue received for “pornographic activity.”

Pennsylvania Legislature Weighs 'Porn Tax' Bill

The Pennsylvania State Senate is considering a bill that would impose a 10% tax on the revenue of adult websites doing business in that state.

Show More