Bredbandsbolaget, owned by Norwegian Telenor, has won an important case in the Stockholm City Court on whether Internet operators should be forced to block subscribers from accessing certain sites, such as the Swefilmer streaming service. The judgment, which received a great deal of attention, is the first of its kind in Sweden, and it is likely to be appealed by the opposing parties. 

The action against Bredbandsbolaget was brought by several film and record companies seeking a court order forcing Bredbandsbolaget to block its subscribers from accessing the Swefilmer streaming service and The Pirate Bay file sharing website. The film and record companies held that by not blocking these sites on its own initiative, Bredbandsbolaget is aiding and abetting copyright infringement. Based on an evaluation of Sweden’s implementation of the InfoSoc Directive and of the complicity concept in the Swedish Penal Code, the film and record companies’ action was rejected. Accordingly, Bredbandsbolaget was the winner in the dispute.

The Telenor Group is an international provider of communication services within telecom, data and media that is listed on Oslo Børs, the Oslo Stock Exchange. Bredbandsbolaget is based in Sweden and it is a part of the Telenor Group.

Telenor and Bredbandsbolaget were represented in the case by Mannheimer Swartling (Per Josefson and Oscar Björkman Possne).