The Pirate Bay’s Open Letter to the World

Still in the fallout from the recent Pirate Bay ruling, the site’s founders have posted a message on the Pirate Bay blog:

So the first verdict finally came, almost 3 years after the raid. You might have heard about it in the news…

You, our beloved users, know that this little speedbump on the information super highway is nothing more than just, a little bump. Todays verdict has already been appealed by us and will be taken to the next level of court (and that will take another 2 or 3 years!)

The site will live on! We are more determined than ever that what we do is right. Millions of users are a good proof of that.

We have seen that some people that we dont know have started collecting donations for us, so we can pay those silly fines. We firmly ask you NOT to do this. Do not gather or send any money. We do not want them since we will not pay any fines!

If you really want to help out, here is a list:
* Seed those torrents a little bit more than you usually do!
* Buy a t-shirt and show the world where your sympathy is.
* If you live in Europe, vote in the election for the EU parliament in June.
* Continue to build the internets! Start more bittorrent sites, blog more, start your own lobby group, create, remix, mash up and continue to grow more heads on this amazing hydra that we know as the internets!
* Do not be afraid of using the network. Invite your friends to this and other file sharing systems. Calm people down if they’re upset. We need to stay united.

While the future of VOD depends on an honest system with people willing to pay reasonable prices for quality content, I can’t help but wonder if stopping sites with the Pirate Bay is really the best way for companies to fight piracy. If I had visitors on this site, maybe you could post a few comments.