TONO, in collaboration with a united film and music industry, is requesting a temporary injunction against Telenor. Demanding an immediate cessation of Telenor's complicity in their customers' illegal use of Pirate Bay.
/ 16/06/2009 / codexCalculations show that the Norwegian cultural industry loses several hundred million kroner each year as a result of illegal file sharing. Telenor contributes by sending 75.000 users to the illegal file sharing website Pirate Bay every day – and is therefore a significant contributor to damaging the Norwegian cultural industry for millions of kroner. Telenor has previously not shown itself willing to develop appropriate methods to prevent this.
Therefore, the rights holders, represented by the law firm SIMONSEN by attorney Rune Ljostad, have today submitted a petition to Asker and Bærum District Court to immediately stop Telenor's forwarding of its subscribers to the condemned website. There is a constellation of Norwegian and international film and music companies behind the demand for closure with immediate effect: Those behind the petition are:
o TONO
o NVF (Norwegian Videogram Association, members)
o MPA (members) Motion Picture Association: Universal, Paramount, Warner, Fox, Disney, Sony
o Norwegian Film Agencies Association
o IFPI-Norway members (music producers)
o (GramArt (the artists))
IFPI Norway, NOPA (the composers/lyricists) and Gramart are party assistants) + NFF (Norwegian Film Agencies Association) and NVF (Norwegian Videogram Association).
Around the world, people are looking for ways to get the situation under control. In Sweden, the Pirate Bay has been banned, in the US and France various types of warnings are being introduced before the internet connection is closed – and Telenor in Denmark has been ordered to block traffic to the Pirate Bay.
At its core, this is about defending the rights of authors, composers, artists, music producers, filmmakers and others who make a living by producing intellectual property. And it is about the state-owned Telenor helping to create a foundation on which to stimulate further cultural production in society. The dramatically increasing theft of intellectual property is now creating a steady erosion of the opportunities for continuing to create and sell culture.
Some claim that this is about freedom on the internet. We believe it is theft of intellectual property – and that Telenor is an active contributor to making this possible for all those who do not want to pay for the goods.
The case has been forwarded to Telenor and Asker and Bærum District Court by courier at 0800 on Tuesday morning.
Ragnar Bjerkreim, Tono/composer/musician – : Chairman of NOPA (composer and lyricists in Norway and board member of TONO)
Cato Strøm, Director, TONO,
Guttorm Pettersen, director, SF Norge (film distributor) –
On behalf of the plaintiffs,
Cato StrømAdm. director, TONO