Black day for file-sharing sites

Peter Sunde is stepping down as The Pirate Bay spokesman

The Pirate Bay's campaign to ensure that the internet remains free for individuals to share as much content as they like seems to be coming to an end, amid signs that British authorities are cracking down on downloading sites in the UK.

Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde has said that he will step down as spokesman for the file-sharing site, claiming that its agenda to promote internet freedom takes up too much of his time.

The Pirate Bay drove Europe into a heated debate on whether action should be taken against copyright infringement by downloaders. But the founders were convicted in a Swedish court in April of profiting from the distribution of copyrighted music and sentenced to a year in jail.

"The past years I've been very active in the discussion of the current state and the future states of the internet. It's an important cause and I will not give the fight up," said Sunde in a blog post.

"Our issue has been raised to another level and it's time for biological dispersal. At the same time, I have a feeling of being sessile when I need to be the most motile creature ever. The regeneration will continue with me in another place."

The blog post had received 75 comments at the time of writing. "This war is about each person's right to privacy and integrity," said one.

In related news, the British founder of Filesoup was arrested last week, signalling that the UK could be starting to take stronger action against downloading sites. Such a move would comply with proposals laid out in the government's Digital Britain Report published in June.

Filesoup, like The Pirate Bay, does not host illegal content, but provides access to links that allow users to download videos and movies.

The Filesoup founder, who is known as 'geeker', posted details of his arrest on the Filesoup blog. He is currently out on bail.