Rixstep
 About | ACP | Buy | Industry Watch | Learning Curve | News | Products | Search | Substack
Home » Industry Watch

A Reek of Filth

Roswall intimates he's ready but what exactly does that mean?



Get It

Try It

State prosecutor Håkan Roswall will present his case against The Pirate Bay by 31 January 2008 at the latest. This according to an announcement made by Roswall 20 November. And as the long drawn out case gets more and more drawn out things get curiouser and curiouser.

The latest 'trump card' thrown out by Roswall is the intimation Carl Lundström, former CEO of Internet provider Rix Telecom, will also be involved. Lundström's role in the TBP case, according to sources, is that his company not only provided TBP with bandwidth but provided it at a discount.

And this in Roswall's way of thinking is enough to establish culpability.

Fascism & TPB

But The Pirate Bay and Lundström were never close. Hardly possible considering Lundström's notoriety as supporter of Swedish right wing white supremacy groups. The discount - and there was a discount - was due solely to the fact that a member of TBP staff had previously worked for Rix Telecom. TBP never had any contact with Lundström, insists TBP spokesperson Peter Sunde.

'Which is hardly surprising', adds Sunde, referring to Lundström's political leanings.

Don't Give Up

But state prosecutor Roswall isn't exactly known for letting the finer points of something known as 'the truth' get in his way. Sources close to Rixstep have previously provided ample evidence of Roswall's methods: even after being forced to admit he's blundered and pursued the 'wrong man' Roswall doesn't give up - he puts his personal prestige above such abstract ideas as 'right', 'wrong', and 'justice'.

'Roswall does his bidding', a source says. 'And in this case there was considerable pressure brought to bear on his office by the Swedish government who in turn were pressured by the United States and the MPAA/RIAA lobby.'

'But once the case is on his table he doesn't dare let go. It's probably a matter of prestige to him. He's known for pursuing cases he knows have no foundation. He's something like Sweden's Ken Starr.'

One of Five

Carl Lundström is one of five who may be formally charged by Håkan Roswall after the new year. Roswall refuses to comment on the matter; Lundström's told IDG Sweden he's going back for more questioning next week.

'I just refuse to answer questions', he told IDG Sweden. 'And when they ask if I'm able to answer their questions I usually tell them yes I can answer but I don't want to.'

Right & Wrong

The case against The Pirate Bay is shaky at best and would most likely never have been pursued were it not for the involvement of the MPAA and the RIAA in domestic Swedish affairs.

And it's not right to blame Håkan Roswall for the mishaps of international political intrigue - but it's also not right for Håkan Roswall to pursue (persecute) people in this manner, no matter their political affiliations. History shows that it's possible to get Roswall to relent - months or years after he's known he's in error - but it's a long uphill climb.

And Roswall never gives up easily.

I don't know how to say this but one could say the Pirate Bureau is like the IRA and The Pirate Bay is like IRA's armed forces.
 - Håkan Roswall

See Also
Industry Watch: Download Bodström
Industry Watch: A Trip to Washington
Industry Watch: Barely Legal
Industry Watch: It's War!
Industry Watch: 'I Knocked Them Offline'
Industry Watch: Anti-Pirate Bureau Closed
Industry Watch: Declaration of War
Industry Watch: On Our Side
Industry Watch: The Police Bay
Industry Watch: Sending the Wrong Message?
Industry Watch: Cat and Mouse Game
Industry Watch: Anatomy of a Career
Industry Watch: Pirates & Anti-Pirates
Industry Watch: TPB Raking in Millions
Industry Watch: TPB Update

IDG.se/Computer Sweden: Ex-vd misstänkt i Pirate Bay-härvan

TorrentFreak: MPAA Begged Sweden to Take Down The Pirate Bay
TorrentFreak: The Police Have No Evidence Against The Pirate Bay
TorrentFreak: The Pirate Bay Not Impressed by Announced Prosecution
TorrentFreak: Prosecutor Compares the Pirate Bureau and The Pirate Bay to Terrorists

Rixstep FTP: From MPA's Malcolm to Swedish State Secretary Eliasson (PDF)

About | ACP | Buy | Industry Watch | Learning Curve | News | Products | Search | Substack
Copyright © Rixstep. All rights reserved.