Norway will not chase file-sharers

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Deutsch: [Norwegen wird File-Sharer nicht verfolgen | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1453]

The Norwegian data protection authority has decided that ISPs had to delete
all IP address-related data just 3 weeks after collection, a decision that
will make difficult to chase file-sharers.

The regulator started with two ISPs, Tele2 and Lyse Tele but the decision,
subject by the Personal Data Act, will apply to all ISPs in Norway. As
Norway is not a member of the European Union, it is not bound to comply to
the European data retention directive which says that this type of data must
be held for at least 6 months. In Norway, now, data retention can go from a
few days to five months.

The Norwegian telecom regulator has also recently ruled that the identity of
file-sharers can be disclosed to copyright holders only by court order. And
to make things even tougher for copyright holders, Simonsen law firm, the
only legal company having had a licence to track file-sharers, has seen it
expire with no renewal provided.

Simonsen has had the licence since 2006 having been enabled to monitor
alleged pirates and collect their IP addresses. The licence was however
temporary and it won’t be renewed due to the very little debate on the
matter. Data protection authorities have requested legislative clarification
on what the license can and cannot do, but have not received the requested
information from the competent authorities.

Simonsen lawyer Espen Tøndel said that his law firm would object against the
non-renewal of their license. “One can not deny (the copyright holders)
their right to protect their interests in this way,” he said.

Anti-Piracy Lawyers Lose License To Chase Pirates (22.06.2009)
http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-lawyers-loses-license-to-chase-pirates-090622/

Data Protection Makes Identifying Online Pirates a Nightmare (10.06.2009)
http://torrentfreak.com/data-protection-makes-identifying-online-pirates-a-nightmare-090610/

Norway organises the immunity of P2Ps (only in French, 25.06.2009)
http://www.numerama.com/magazine/13272-La-Norvege-organise-l-immunite-de-ses-P2Pistes.html

Anti-Piracy Lawyers Thwarted in Norway (23.06.2009)
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Anti-Piracy-Twarted-Lawyers-License,news-4114.html