The folks who operate the Pirate Bay have threatened an anti-piracy group with copyright infringement for developing a parody website.
The torrent site said it filed a report with Finnish police stating the group had stolen elements from the Pirate Bay website in order to create the parody. The target of the Pirate Bay’s lawsuit is the anti-piracy group known as the Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Centre (CIAPC). The organization previously attempted to sue a nine-year-old for downloading pirated content.
Although the torrent website allows its users to download a vast array of copyrighted material on a regular basis, the Pirate Bay has taken issue with the CIAPC’s tactics. According to Ars Technica , the people working behind the scenes at the torrent site are irritated that an anti-piracy group essentially stole the tools necessary to build the parody.
The Pirate Bay said in a statement:
“The reason [for the police report] is that CIAPC have copied files from which The Pirate Bay is built, to produce a fraudulent parody site. While The Pirate Bay may have a positive view on copying, it will not stand by and watch copyright enforcing organizations disrespect copyright. It’s funny that we have to teach the copyright lobby the meaning of the law.”
Wired is reporting that the CIAPC is ready and willing to face the copyright infringement lawsuit head-on. The organization said that the court filing would force the operators of the Pirate Bay to identify themselves by name.
However, it would appear the torrent site has found a way to get its point across without a lawsuit. The Pirate Bay recently stated it was “considering taking action with the help of another organisation with shared aims for a free and developing internet.”
The parody site started by the CIAPC mimics the Pirate Bay by imitating its iconic appearance. However, the website takes would-be downloaders to businesses which provide legal content.
What do you think about the Pirate Bay’s lawsuit against the CIAPC?
