Denmark’s last remaining illegal pirate services, Asgaard and ShareUniversity, have been shut down. This puts an end to illegal services anchored in Denmark, but a group of committed users requires further efforts.
The closure of the two remaining illegal services Asgaard and ShareUniversity proves that the Danish Rights Alliance’s more than 10 years of dedicated work in fighting illegal services have been fruitful: The Danish anchored pirate services are closed and switched off.
Following the State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime’s (SØIK) action against DanishBits and NordicBits in October, a large number of users moved on to the two remaining illegal Danish services, Asgaard and ShareUniversity, which both experienced a tremendous boost in the number of visitors. With its 1.5 million visits in November, Asgaard became the largest remaining Danish pirate service, where illegal sharing of more than 18,000 different files, such as Danish news articles, books, and films, took place.
However, Asgaard’s status as the largest Danish illegal service was short-lived, as they chose to close down shortly before Christmas. They did this with an announcement that they did not dare to continue their activities, as the Danish Rights Alliance was aware of them in the wake of SØIK’s interventions in the cases of DanishBits and NordicBits. After this, the only remaining Danish service was ShareUniversity, which also chose to close down the very next day, when the consequences of running an illegal service became clear with the closure of the other sites.
Thus, the last Danish pirate service closed to the great satisfaction of the director of the Danish Rights Alliance, Maria Fredenslund:
“We have worked hard to get rid of illegal services rooted in Denmark. It is the fruit of more than 10 years of dedicated work, that it is now a reality that for the first time there are no Danish illegal services, which is a huge victory for the Danish rights holders,” she says and adds:
“Meanwhile, we are of course aware that new smaller pirate services may emerge on an ongoing basis, which will try to find a foothold. But it is our clear expectation that with these latest developments, we have drawn a line under the Danish-anchored illegal services.”
SØIK turn their attention to committed users
The closure of the Danish scene for sharing illegal content has however not meant that all users have disappeared. The Danish Rights Alliance is aware that committed users have moved towards foreign services, where they continue their illegal consumption. Therefore, it is important to have an increased focus on these committed users, also called ‘heavy users’, who use illegal services and knowingly publish, distribute, and consume illegal content.
The efforts of SØIK’s IP-Task Force are central in this matter, and the director of the Danish Rights Alliance, Maria Fredenslund, emphasizes the importance of following up on users’ responsibility in relation to illegal behavior, which SØIK also emphasized in their press release regarding the DanishBits and NordicBits case:
“It is extremely important that the Task Force continues its good work, and now focuses on the committed users who are constantly looking for new ways to share illegal content. The Task Force has already proved to be extremely effective and impactful in closing down the illegal services, and we can see from the various platforms that it resonates with the users,” she says.
Sharing movies and other content are serious offenses
The increased focus on committed users, who on a large scale consume and share illegal content, is important in terms of cementing the seriousness of illegal sharing and the consequences it has for the rights holders.
Danish news articles, books, films, and series are highly sought after on the pirate services, and for example, the Danish feature film “Druk” was made available illegally on Asgaard and ShareUniversity, before the official planned digital release. This has noticeable consequences for the film’s news value on legal streaming services and for all rights holders behind it
Therefore, it is an aggravating circumstance when films are made available on illegal networks before their official release, and it can have serious consequences for those who make them available illegally, in terms of both penalties and claims for damages.
The increased focus on user responsibility is also aligned with the Danish government’s growth initiatives, which were presented in 2019.
