A Swedish court has finally handed down its verdict to the four defendants in the Internet file-sharing case! Each of the four - Peter Sunde, Frederik Neij, and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, and Carl Lundstrom, - has been sentenced to a one-year jail term. The court has also ordered them to make a 30-million kronor payment in damages to top entertainment companies, like Warner Bros, EMI, Columbia Pictures, and Sony Music Entertainment.

The ‘notorious’ four, who were associated with the Internet file-sharing service The Pirate Bay, were found guilty of violating copyright law. The court said that the accused had aided copyright infringement by operating the site, thereby providing links to countless songs, films, video games and other content and helping users download them.

With the kind of attention that the case drew from media companies as well as Internet users, particularly because of the enormous size of The Pirate Bay, boasting 20 million users, the court verdict spells a glitzy triumph for the music and movie industries in their efforts to curb online piracy.

Meanwhile, Rickard Falkvinge, leader of The Pirate Party, expressing his disappointment at the verdict told BBC that the sentence was “a gross injustice.” He added: “This wasn't a criminal trial, it was a political trial. It is just gross beyond description that you can jail four people for providing infrastructure!”