The Pirate Bay trial begins today in Stockholm.
The three founders, accused by the entertainment industry
of costing thousands of jobs due to illegal downloading,
will appear in court charged with copyright infringement.
Where does this story actually start?
When Daniel Ek, a regular guy from Rågsved suddenly created a music player?
Or does it go further back in time?
To the chaos of the early 2000s,
in the fear and disorder of a music industry in crisis?
An industry that for decades had a turnover of 20 billion kronor a year...
But one that was now on its knees,
thanks to three brats and a server.
Don't stop Pirate Bay!
Show some respect for fuck's sake!
Don't stop Pirate Bay!
God damn!
What the fuck are we going to do about this? Shit.
Should be a courthouse, not a fucking gauntlet.
It is, but focus on the trial for now.
Do you want the good news or the bad news?
Bad news? Hell, the trial hasn't even begun yet.
The defense wants half the charges to be dropped.
We have to beat them.
We can. And we will.
Okay, good. And the good news?
The good news is that all three are actually here.
I'm here with Peter Sunde, the charismatic spokesperson for Pirate Bay...
-How do you feel right now? -Do you have anything to say?
This whole process is a charade.
The court is a sham. It's a joke. We're just scapegoats.
We are just part of this media spectacle
to satisfy corrupt politicians and greedy music executives.
Per Sundin and the record companies,
are trying to blame all this on us,
but it's their overpricing of CDs that caused all this in the first place.
Because nobody wants to pay for something that they can get for free.
So when we win, all the music industry's secrets will be revealed
and a new dawn can begin. Thank you!
I have to let you go.
-Pontén. -Yes, it's Per Sundin here.
The Americans will take Sweden to the WTO if we don't do more to protect copyright.
I know. American services called here today.
Then do something, damn it!
If we don't shut them down soon, there won't be any industry left to save.
Police! Get down!
Police! Get down! Police!
Get down! Hands behind your back!
Gottfrid Svartholm, you are under arrest for copyright infringement.
Fredrik Neij, you are under arrest for copyright infringement.
Two days.
Your raid kept Pirate Bay offline for just two days.
Huh? And Peter Sunde, what the hell happened to him?
He had a tip-off that we were on our way and backed up all the torrents.
Then he found a new location where his business will be run from.
Holland, out of reach of the Swedish police.
They're goddamn brats.
It makes our legal system look like a fucking joke.
They're laughing at you, Pontén. You get that, right?
You gotta find something to charge them with.
You know what?
Traffic to Pirate Bay doubled after the raid.
What?
Yep. We did them a favor.
Are you ready?
No, damn it!
You're kidding me!
Hey, it's just a barbecue. It might be nice to think about something else.
...to criminalize a whole generation of young people
just because they download songs.
it becomes absurd.
It's about making culture accessible...
If things are getting that bad, isn't it time to do something else?
I'm 44. What the hell would I do?
You can do anything.
Maybe you could invest in the internet like everyone else.
The Internet? The hell...
Well... It was just a suggestion.
Try to have a good time now.
We'll forget everything else tonight. Okay?
Hello! Aww...
-Flowers for the hostess. -Good to see you!
You too! You look great!
-My husband... -Per. Hello.
My son, William. Oh, thanks!
-Karin, nice to meet you. -Mats.
-Come on in! -Hey, William, a pleasure.
What an amazing house!
We actually just finished this extension.
Greta's father is an architect.
I can tell.
So, what do you all say?
What shall we have to drink?
We have white, prosecco, and... oh yeah!
My wife has made a fantastic mojito.
-Right! -There you go.
-Thank you. -You're welcome.
You work in the music business, right? Greta told me.
-Yeah, that's right. -Let me show you something.
-These bad boys... custom made. -Yeah. They're really very nice.
Eight inch woofer.
Great sound!
300 Watts!
I like to say... a neighbor's worst nightmare.
I can imagine.
Ah, okay. Shitty download from Pirate Bay.
From Pirate Bay?
Yes, exactly. Everyone's doing it now, right?
Oh. They are?
Well, I've paid so damn much for music over the years.
You have?
But hey, Hans...
-What was your name? -Mats.
You work as a corporate lawyer, right?
Yeah, exactly.
Ah yes, exciting. "The Swedish Parliament".
-Such an exciting read... -What are you doing?
What am I doing?
I'm just helping myself to your work.
I thought, since you help yourself to my work...
-Hey, wait a minute, give me that... -No!
You know, I've paid for a hell of a lot of lawyers over the years,
so you can afford to give me this.
-Per! Please... -Hey guys! You know what?
You can help yourself to Mats' work over there.
Just take it, pick it up and go home.
Sorry. You know what? Okay, sorry about...
What?
Give me my stuff.
Your stuff?
What about my stuff?
What about the artists' stuff?
You know, because of people like you, I've had to fire 60 employees lately.
People who live in their fancy fucking houses with fancy fucking speakers
that they pay just about anything for.
But the music?
You're not paying for that.
You rob ordinary, honest people of their livelihood and think that's just fine.
You need help.
I've apologized, what else do you want me to do?
Do you understand how humiliating that was?
He was a fucking idiot. People like him are crushing my industry.
No, Per. You're the one doing that.
What? Come on, Karin. Billy.
I don't see how I could have handled it any other way.
-You don't? -No.
I didn't marry an angry guy who's always going on about the demise of music.
You used to be able to laugh at yourself. And your business.
You said the music industry was a nest of thieves that could collapse at any time.
Yes, but it turns out it's not that funny.
Yeah, but those people at the party aren't bad guys.
They're not criminals. They're ordinary people doing what everyone else is doing.
People know what they think of Pirate Bay. You have to accept it,
and find a way to make it work.
So we can start living again.
First it was just an idea. Then a website.
But now we're a movement.
And every day...
Every day we stand up to them, the authorities realize
that we are unstoppable.
You know what we're doing right now?
We're making history.
And can you guess...
Can you guess who the heroes of this story are?
Can you guess who the idiots of this story are?
Peter Sunde.
Yes, hello, this is Per Sundin. CEO of Sony Music.
-How did you get this number? -You got a tip about a raid.
I got a tip about a phone number.
But, hey, I want to talk to you.
You want to talk?
After all you've done to shut us down?
After your little fucking talks with the prosecutor?
You thought we didn't know, didn't you? Okay. You know what? Fuck you.
-Hello. -Hello, don't hang up.
You know why you should talk to me?
Because I'm calling to tell you that... I get it.
Okay? I get it.
Every household in Sweden has Pirate Bay, I get it. So you have won. Okay?
So now you can either carry on with your little war or you come to my office, and...
we'll have a meeting and we'll talk and see if we can work something out.
No. You come to us.
Have you heard of the Streisand effect?
No.
Barbra Streisand.
She wanted to block a photo of her house,
which led to it spreading all over the internet.
That's kind of what you're doing to file sharing.
Every time you try to crush us, we get stronger.
There must be a middle ground?
-Between us? -Yeah, something needs to change.
Yes. So if you stop working against us, we can put all the focus on the website.
Pirate Bay would explode.
Your artists would get reach they've not had before.
You'd make so much money on merch and touring
you probably wouldn't even miss your record revenues.
What about your money? That you earn? Who gets a share of that?
Huh?
You have ads all over the fucking website. It's obvious you're making money.
If we could compensate the artists in some way.
What do you think?
There's no fucking logic to this. Your users are taking our work.
Don't you think artists should get paid?
We are creating a new world.
Without any fucking gatekeepers, where people can share whatever they want.
-Whether it's ideas or... -But you ruin people's work!
You destroy people's lives.
This is their life's work.
And you just take it.
And you think that we'll just let it pass?
Because you've got some idea of some fucking utopia.
We're just gonna crawl into a fucking hole and die,
because you want us to.
What about the creators? How do you intend to deal with them?
Every time I hear you babbling on,
it reminds me how important this work we do is.
We're creating a new world where we decide the value of what we do.
With every download from Pirate Bay, we move one step closer to that reality.
And when you, and your little fucking industry,
have collapsed and everything you love has died,
I'll know I've done my job.
Hey, buddy.
What's that?
Um... YouTube.
What do you do on there?
Watch videos and stuff.
People who have recorded and uploaded their own videos?
Yeah, basically.
Just look at this.
Oh, I see. Cool.
Pirate Bay?
Mhm.
How long have you been doing this?
-Maybe two years. -Two years? Why?
It's just all the music you want. It's all here.
You don't care that the artists don't get paid?
That's not the point, you don't get it. It's like...
they have the biggest site.
All the music in the world, everything you can imagine, at your fingertips.
I guess that is pretty cool.
Look, you type in what you want...
-Bobbi T. -Yeah.
She's not even signed or anything, but she's here anyway.
She's on Pirate Bay and creating a fanbase.
-Bobbi T? -Yeah.
Alright. But what, can you see how popular she is?
How many people are listening to her and...
Yeah, here. 95.
Yeah. I'll be damned.
Why's there porn everywhere?
Some kind of ads, I don't know...
But why the hell is it porn?
You're 14, you shouldn't be seeing that.
But, yeah... Okay.
No, that's not a good site. You shouldn't look at it.
Click the porn off before your mother sees. She'll strangle you.
Yeah, it's Sundin.
Turn on the TV.
I hope you are satisfied.
But if you lose, it's your company going under.
Prosecutors say charges will be brought against Pirate Bay.
The three defendants who have contested charges are expected to be seen in court.
Karin!
-What is it? -You hear that?
The prosecutor has decided to take Pirate Bay to court.
Copyright infringement.
-Okay. -Now they'll fucking get it.
Dad... Are you kidding me?
Two minutes ago, I was explaining their site to you. Now this?
But this is about the law. This is about right and wrong.
They're common thieves.
Check this out...
Look at this.
This is both a work of art and craftsmanship.
Someone recorded that, mixed it and produced it.
Packaged it, designed it and then sold it.
You and your generation need to understand that this has actual value.
You just sit in front of the computer and play pointless video games all day.
Pointless games?
Well, you get what I mean.
I'm right, you know it.
I'm right. Tell him.
Did you listen to the demo?
Yes! Yes, I did. It's great, she's got something.
-I know, right? -Have you booked us for a live gig or...?
No, but I'll sort it out.
Good.
And... Daniel Ek wants a meeting.
Daniel Ek? Who the hell is that?
He has started a streaming service. Spotify.
No. Not right now.
Okay.
Right, your wife has called. She's made a reservation at Peo's. Seven o'clock.
-Hello. -Hello.
Sorry, I'm a little late.
It's fine. I ordered what you like.
Great.
Do you want some wine?
Yes, please.
You're a little hard on William.
I know. It's...
Sorry.
You said his whole culture was garbage.
Well, I didn't say it was junk, did I?
Per. Have you forgotten what it's like to be young?
And have your own thing.
You were proud of doing things you love at that age.
Yes, but that's when you were creating something.
Hm.
Not just stealing from others, like that.
Just think of our parents.
How did they feel when the punk and rock'n'roll thing came along?
We loved to upset our parents.
Yeah.
We loved that what we did shocked them.
Yeah...
Thanks, that looks good.
Thank you very much!
Yes, I hear what you're saying. I hear you.
What would happen if you lost the trial?
I won't lose.
I remember...
if someone closed a door in front of you, you'd always find a new door.
That's one of the reasons I fell for you.
Really?
You saw opportunities, not limitations.
Don't be so old, Per.
Running it, running it...
Per Sundin! Hey. Hi.
-Hello. -Hello.
Excuse me, I don't think we...
This is Daniel Ek. He wanted to meet you.
I want to talk to you about the music industry. I know how to save it.
Okay.
Hey, good night.
You know we need to find new approaches,
and we have one. A music player.
You want to show me on the street?
This is like nothing you've ever seen before.
Free music on a whole new level.
-Design, intelligence, quality... -Wait.
What did you say?
-Well, I... -You said free music.
Who the hell do you think you are?
-Music can never be free! -I wanted to talk to you...
It's not some fucking plastic toy you get in a cereal box.
-Yeah, I know but... -No! Music.
Do you know what that is? It's art.
I'm not interested in free music.
Do you get it?
Good night.
What a fucking clown!
How many fucking 20-year-olds want to destroy our industry?
What did you think of the gig?
It was...
It was good.
It was damn good.
We'll sign her, right?
Yeah. I think so.
Good.
Hey...
Do you think I'm getting kind of...
old?
Huh?
You're 44.
Yes, I'm aware.
That was a diplomatic answer, eh?
This streaming guy, how the hell did he know I was at the gig?
-Someone must have tipped him off. -Yeah.
Why?
Because I've seen it. I've seen how good it is.
Bobbi.
-Hey! -Hello!
Welcome, it's great that you could come.
Thanks for the demo.
And thanks for the gig. It was... Shit, it was amazing.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
But the demo is just a draft.
Right. I thought it was awesome. It was great, you have your own sound.
That's why we asked you to come to the studio today.
So we can try out some ideas. If you're comfortable with that?
Are you kidding?
No, I'm not.
Well, times are tough, but we... We have to be brave.
Back awesome artists like you and make music that we love.
Thanks, I...
Here's our lawyer. She's put together an...
-Hello, Sandra. -Hi. Bobbi. Hi.
...an agreement that you can look at. So you know what it says.
I don't know how to thank you.
My mom will never believe this.
It's what we do. "Making dreams come true."
Shall we go?
Yeah.
She's a damn star.
Hey, when's that guy coming?
He's here.
Right.
I want to apologize for the other night. I could have handled it better.
-No, it's alright. I survived. -That's good.
Thanks for coming. We've looked forward to it.
Likewise. What a studio! Really cool.
Maybe you've heard of ABBA?
-Here? -Yeah.
-Really? -Mhm, yeah.
Hmm.
-But, hey... -Yeah?
Can you show me that thing?
-Yes, absolutely. -Yeah.
Okay, I just want to start by saying...
Yes, it's a site for free music but we have a business model. Everyone gets paid.
Yes.
As I said to you in some frustration,
I'm pretty sick of this idea of free music.
But sorry, yeah, do your thing.
I promised Steffi I'd behave myself, so...
Let's go.
Okay.
-It looks neat. -Yes. Music is beautiful.
Everything that's been created in this room is art.
And I want where you turn to play the songs to be just as special.
That's why we created Spotify.
We have no interest in letting the future in any way destroy what has been,
but we will take what has been, combine it with the new,
and the soul of CDs and vinyls along with what is instant in the digital.
What do you mean instant?
Well, type in a song.
Alright.
Where do I find the song library then, there's...
It's technically on a server a mile away,
but I don't feel like going there now, so type a song in.
-But how do you know which song? -Pick any song you want.
-Any song? -Any song.
-Okay. Should I download it now, or... -No. Just click it.
-Yes, but it hasn't buffered... -No. Just press play.
How did you do that?
Type in another one.
-Anything? -Anything.
Okay.
This is unbelievable.
Wait a minute...
But how...?
I mean, where...?
-Where do you keep the songs? -They come directly from here. Online.
This is crazy...
Shit.
So this is the world's first pure streaming site.
And the best part is that everyone gets paid.
Jesus.
-Bobbi? -Yeah. You were at the gig.
Yep.
But do you know her?
Oh, yeah. We went to the same high school.
She's goddamn awesome. She'll go far.
She will.
Hi, Per. Are you okay?
Hi.
Per?
It's a jukebox.
It's a fucking infinite jukebox.
I said, "Per Sundin from Music Sweden".
Switzerland?
Sweden. I have an appointment with the CEO.
Good to see you, Per. Mr. Stringer is waiting for you.
-Looks like another iTunes to me. -I know how much we all hate digital.
But this, this is different.
Streaming.
It's the first thing I've seen that could draw people away from Pirate Bay.
Yes, well...
Well, thank you, Per. We'll certainly think about it.
You'll think about it?
Yes. It's a huge, smart, fast player.
But we won't do anything before we have the verdict from the Pirate Bay trial.
We don't have time to wait.
We're dying. We're in the fucking Titanic.
You do not have to teach me about loss.
Sweden is a little shit compared with what we have to deal with here.
Well, Pirate Bay is bleeding us to death.
And I've got Maxine here, on the phone, suggesting more firings.
And I can't do that.
There won't be a Sony Sweden left anymore.
You know who I resent, Per?
MTV. MTV were the first people to rip us off. I can't have that happen again.
With all due respect, sir, that was 25 years ago.
That's not today, that's over.
Nobody under the age of 45 give a flying fuck about MTV.
MTV, what...
Per!
Lucian! Hey, what an honor. What's Universal doing on enemy territory?
Ah, you know, just some legal stuff.
When are you joining us? Transfer soon?
Well, sooner rather than later, I would say.
So, how are you? Here for the Pirate Bay trial?
Well, kind of.
Tried to get my superiors to see the future, but um...
failed.
And... What's the future?
Could I buy you lunch? Yeah?
Psychedelic Furs.
Always liked them.
My first signing.
I know. You're a legend, Lucian. True legend.
Tell me more about it.
These guys are young and part of a new generation.
But they wanna work with us. They're not Pirate Bay.
There's no politics. They're just fucking tech geeks.
They've got the technology, they've got the ideas.
And if we don't embrace that, you know,
if we don't take this chance, I think we're totally fucked.
You know, I've done business in Sweden.
Nobody ever drives a hard bargain, nobody fights to win.
Meaning?
The US will be the last to move, we're too big. Too many lawyers.
It might be you are the ones in the eye of the hurricane.
You have State Finance Broadband, Pirate Bay...
And now this thing.
So what do you think of it?
It's the perfect player, isn't it?
Yeah. It is the perfect player.
It'll take time, though.
Nobody will ever sign a deal that involves free music.
But there must be a solution.
I would start the process,
trying to make a deal with Spotify, try to figure it out,
domestic solutions first.
Okay...
But...
But what?
I wouldn't do it without you, Per. Swap team.
You kidding me?
No.
For the crime of "Aiding and abetting the theft of copyrighted material,"
I find them guilty, and the Pirate Bay website...
-Guilty. -This verdict is a fucking joke.
I find the defendants guilty on all counts,
so, this court sentences you to one year imprisonment
and to pay compensation of 30 million kronor.
This is a waste of time and money. And this is a travesty of justice!
Crazy.
Shit!
Do you want to play?
-Yes. -Okay.
-You're going to play? -Yes.
-I'll be there later. -See you later then.
Congratulations on the new job.
I am the one who should congratulate you.
Great fucking party! Huh?
Yeah. Martin rented the place.
-He rented it? -Yeah.
Yeah, I'm surprised he didn't buy it.
Could have been.
Could have. Really.
I'm just going to... Hello.
Hello!
I mean... You've done a fantastic job. Really.
-Thank you! -I'm so impressed.
So glad to hear it.
Listen, I've got some stuff I'd like to discuss.
-Are you free next week? -Okay. I think so.
-Then I'll call you. -Yeah, do that.
Per, I just want to say...
Shit, I'm really impressed that Universal has pushed this deal...
That can't have been easy. I appreciate it.
You opening that door.
Cheers! But hey, have you seen Casablanca?
No. Is it a movie, the old black-and-white one?
-Yeah, have you seen it? -No.
-Watch it! -Okay.
And then you imagine that the last final line is from me to you.
-Okay? -Okay!
Daniel?
Daniel! Sofia! Come on!
I want you to meet someone!
-Nice to see you. -Cheers!
Enjoy the party, cheers.
This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Exactly. Nice that someone's seen that movie.
Because you forced me to. Twice.
Just to increase your cultural credibility.
Do you miss the old Sony team?
Just you.
But listen...
I need a young, brilliant talent to come in and...
open the eyes of the tired old men.
-Awesome DJ! -I know, right?
I know him. It's his own mix.
-What's he called? -Tim.
But he calls himself Aviici.
I know what you're thinking. Who's the woman Per Sundin was just talking to?
My name is Petra Hansson and I'm General Counsel at Spotify.
Without me, there's no launch.
Not even close.
And I'll tell you why.
INSPIRED BY THE NOVEL SPOTIFY UNTOLD
Subtitle translation by: Hiventy