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Many Swedes still download illegally: poll

Six months after the introduction of Sweden's controversial anti-piracy law, 11 percent of Swedes continue to download copyrighted material.

Many Swedes still download illegally: poll

Sweden’s tough new anti-piracy law has had little effect on the downloading habits of many young Swedes, according to a recent SIFO survey.

Within the most “download-intensive” age bracket, 15-29 years, it appears that every fourth Swede is a criminal.

Overall, 16 percent of men, but only five percent of women, continue to download music and films illegally.

Moreover, 76 percent of file sharers report that they are not afraid of getting caught.

The survey also shows, however, that the new law has been effective in many respects, with 16 percent of those surveyed stating they have stopped downloading since the implementation of the new law.

In a survey conducted by SIFO six months ago, 21 percent of these people were still downloading copyrighted material.

Of the group continuing to download illegally, 46 percent said that they would stop if better legal alternatives were available, a fact which caught the attention of television operator, Viasat, who ordered the survey.

“We need a greater selection of well-priced, legal alternatives in order to prevent illegal downloading. Only 27 percent think that existing alternatives are good enough. Businesses need to take more forceful action in order to provide more legal alternatives as well as becoming better at informing people of the alternatives that already exist,” said Viasat Chief Executive Hans Skarplöth in a statement.

The Ipred law, implemented on April 1 of this year, gave copyright holders the right to force internet service providers to reveal details of users sharing files, paving the way for legal action that could see downloaders pay hefty damages and fines.

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