On Tuesday, the investigation into illegally streamed TV, so-called ip-tv, will be presented to the Minister of Culture.
According to the investigator Eva Bergquist, over half a million Swedes use unauthorized services to stream TV and sports broadcasts. But since it is "almost impossible" to get to the source, one must change the law on consumption of the content, which is today described as a "grey area".
"It should be clear that it is punishable for private individuals to use the type of illegal ip-tv services that are common on the market today", writes Bergquist together with the head secretary Jakob Kihlberg.
The investigator writes that authorities such as the police and the Tax Authority "must be able to prioritize cases concerning these illegal services". The Swedish Patent and Registration Office and the Swedish Post and Telecommunications Authority should receive "special assignments in the area".
They also want to remove results in search engines that concern illegal services.
Furthermore, it is proposed that the government investigate the possibility of "live blocking" during ongoing events, so that rights holders can quickly request blocking of such unauthorized broadcasts.
"This is an opportunity that already exists in several other European countries and which also needs to be tested here to stop illegal broadcasts of not least sports."
Jakob Forssmed (KD), Minister of Social Affairs with responsibility for sports issues, welcomes the investigation. In a comment to TT, he writes:
"Both elite and recreational sports are today missing out on enormous amounts and law-abiding citizens see their sports subscriptions become more expensive when others buy illegal ip-tv services which benefit the criminals. It must be stopped."
