Major entertainment industry groups representing film studios, record labels, videogame developers and publishers have signed a deal with internet service providers in Sweden to simplify the blocking of pirate sites. The signatories will also work together to help form clear legislation that will pave the way for a streamlined administrative site-blocking regime.

In terms of drama, excitement, politics and at times pure theater, Sweden’s connection with iconic file-sharing battles is unrivaled, largely due to the antics of The Pirate Bay.

At least for a while, the battle lines seemed to be clearly drawn. ‘Greedy’ entertainment industry giants lined up on one side, with The Pirate Bay, its founders, and what felt like universal public support on the other. But as the dust of these battles began to settle, a new front opened up.

As proud maintainers of non-discriminatory ‘dumb pipes’ that exist to facilitate the free flow of all information, many ISPs in Sweden stood strong while distancing themselves from the copyright infringements of their customers. They did not endorse illegality but for them it was a matter of principle. We don’t monitor and we don’t interfere. We are neutral.

The rest of this article can be read on TorrentFreak.com

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