Swedish Traffic Levels Back To Before IPRED – Nobody Surprised.

IPRED came into force like a bad joke on April first, people were cautious… IFPI rejoicing and issuing press releases left right and center, calling it a victory and blah blah blah.

Like everyone knew, it was not going to last, just a few months later we see Swedish traffic levels are pretty much back to where they were before IPRED and ready to surpass the old level in a matter of days.

Only ones surprised are the IFPI and the dinosaurs who they answer to.

When Sweden’s IPRED legislation came into force on April 1st this year, the country saw a massive 30% drop in Internet traffic. Many attributed this to Internet user fears associated with increased powers of anti-piracy groups. Now, 8 months later, traffic is completely back to normal and on track to exceed pre-IPRED levels.

The introduction of Sweden’s controversial Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED) gave rights holders the authority to request personal details of alleged Internet copyright infringers in order that they can be pursued through the legal system.

The legislation came into force on April 1st this year, and the very next day the Netnod Internet Exchange reported a significant drop of 30% in Swedish Internet traffic. This dramatic reduction in data transfers was attributed to file-sharers reigning in their activities on fears of being identified by anti-piracy companies.

In response to the news, Swedish Pirate Party Chairman Rick Falkvinge told TorrentFreak that most experts believed that the initial “scare effect” would wear off in time. They were absolutely right.

Current data from Netnod reveals that traffic levels in Sweden have not only returned to normal, pre-IPRED levels, but actually seem on track to surpass them. This increase is partly natural, but the relatively steep climb in recent months seems to suggest that P2P traffic is on the rise again.

Click here to visit TF and read the rest of the story, follow the commentary as well as marvel at the traffic chart

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