Swedish net traffic dips with new piracy law

Sweden’s Internet traffic dropped by 30 percent on Wednesday, the first day of new anti-piracy laws.

Usage fell to 80 Gbps, compared to 120 Gbps on Tuesday. Traffic was consistent the week prior, giving the appearance that the new laws have scared away illegal file sharers, but Netnod, the company reporting the data, has avoided making that claim. Computer Sweden notes, however, that a similar effect was observed nearly three years ago when police raided The Pirate Bay, headquartered in Sweden.

The iPRED law requires Internet service providers to hand over customers’ IP addresses in cases where the court finds sufficient evidence of wrong-doing. To that end, CNet reports on efforts already underway by copyright holders to start prosecuting file sharers.

It’s starting with audiobooks, as five publishers asked the court to identify someone who allegedly hosts up to 2,000 audiobooks on a server. The recording industry is watching the case closely to see how their own cases would fare.

"It will be interesting to see what the court determines to be sufficient proof," Lars Gustafsson, CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, told Swedish news agency TT. "We are naturally examining their evidence and comparing it with ours."

The Local reported in late 2008 that 8 percent of the Swedish population used peer-to-peer file sharing programs earlier that year. For those who are still looking to evade detection, The Pirate Bay opened a beta last week for iPREDator, an anonymity service that seems specifically designed to fly in the face of Sweden’s new law.