mikeShriver

The founders of The Pirate Bay have been on trial in Sweden on charges of copyright violation. Final arguments wrapped up yesterday, and a judgment should come in the next few weeks.

The most interesting note from the trial: Witness for the defense Professor Roger Wallis, who testified about the impact of file-sharing on CD sales, was asked if he would like compensation for his trouble, travel and time. Wallis declined, instead asking that flowers be sent to his wife, Görel.

The community of filesharers responded with an overwhelming show of gratitude, sending over $4,000 worth of flowers the Wallis’ home (and that was before the news his Slashdot’s front page).

Wallis, a professor of media technology at Kungliga Tekniska högskolan in Stockholm, testified against the IFPI’s assertion that CD sales declines are due largely to online downloading:

There’s a multitude of factors that effects the decline in sales. The most important reason is that the CD isn’t a practical form of distribution when people want their music on their computers or on MP3.

He also drew upon the commonly used comparison with the VCR and personal tape recorder technology that came along in the 80’s. Personal tape recorders became an important part of music culture, allowing for cheaply produced independent music to be distributed underground, away from industry control.

The outpouring of gratitude puts a positive face on a group that is often labeled as criminal. If we can keep this kind of thing up, we stand a far greater chance of winning the hearts and minds of the general population, after all, who can resist a group that regularly sends flowers to adorable old swedish women?

Tags: copyright, IFPI, TPB.