Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/18/pirate_bay_probing_cop_joins_warner_brothers/
Pirate Bay-probing cop on Warner Brothers payroll
'Talk about a conflict of interests'
Posted in Music and Media, 18th April 2008 21:55 GMT
A Swedish policeman who helped investigate The Pirate Bay is now working for Warners Brothers, one of the big-name film companies that helped drive the investigation and is now a plaintiff in the pending court case against the swashbuckling P2P file sharing site.
As reported in Swedish by the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan and in English by The Local (http://www.thelocal.se/11188.html), this policeman took his job with Warner several months after the preliminary Pirate Bay investigation was completed, but he's scheduled to appear as a witness when the case goes to trial.
"The question is how long this was under consideration. If it was under consideration at the time of the investigation then it is a scandal," said Peter Althin, a lawyer defending the four men behind The Pirate Bay, including Peter Althin.
"This is a judicial scandal," Sunde said. "Talk about a conflict of interests."
According to Althin, if it turns out the policeman discussed a job with Warner Brothers before the investigation played out, Warner and its fellow plaintiffs would have to ditch their court finding and start all over again. ®