Swedish officials seize file server used for piracy

Swedish police recently launched a crackdown on Internet file sharing, netting a server with 65 terabytes of copyrighted movies, music and other files, government officials said.

"The size of the works are gigantic," said Henrik Ponten, Swedish Anti-Piracy Bureau spokesperson.

The anti-piracy bureau filed a report about the suspected location and a raid occurred in early February, in an apartment located in Brandbergen, southern Stockholm.  One person was at home when the raid took place, and police officials confiscated the computer server.

The server hosted, along with music and movies, also contained TV series, computers programs and other copyrighted information.

The suspect was questioned and admitted he owned the server, which is part of "The Scene," a large international file sharing network.  Some people estimate this sole server — now that it has been taken down — will cripple the piracy group, and will also hurt The Pirate Bay.

"The well-organized pirates on The Scene seem to have an inflated sense of their own ability to conceal themselves, but this raid shows that we can get to them," said Henrik Ponten, an Anti-Piracy Agency lawyer.  "Copyright applies to the Internet too and we will continue to prioritize efforts to counteract these well-organized groups."

Although copyright holders have targeted individual file sharers with lawsuits seeking monetary damages, they often involve the police and the federal government when taking down organized piracy rings.