Bloomberg.com is reporting that the founders of the file-swapping website Pirate Bay have been sentenced to jail time (one year each) by a Swedish court, who further ordered them to pay compensation and damages of about $3.6 million.

So, the good guys win one. Not that it would seem to matter all that much when there’s so much piracy still going on without a realistic way to curtail it. As the Bloomberg report by Niklas Magnusson notes, “The International Federation of Phonographic Industry estimates 95 percent of all downloaded music is pirated, as consumers can get access to files free of charge within minutes, often before commercial release dates.”

I’d be tempted to make a pirate joke here, with all of the media attention of late paid to the Somali pirates kidnapping shipping personnel, but really, that’s not funny, nor is piracy (stealing is what it is) of creative property.

According to the report, Pirate Bay, with 22 million users in February, is the largest file-sharing site using BitTorrent software, which allows users to download and share files in 34 languages for free.

OK, this is somewhat comical: “Pirate Bay has said the site is a network where users put up content to share with other users and that there is no copyrighted material on the site.” Followed by this: “The Swedish ruling won’t shut the Pirate Bay website, whose most popular downloads include television series ‘Lost’ and Academy Award-winning movies such as ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Other products include Apple Inc. software, computer games and millions of songs from bands such as AC/DC and EMI Music’s Coldplay.”

Ever seen the classic film “The Princess Bride”?

Vizzini: INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Just substitute this:

Pirate Bay Founders: COPYRIGHT.
Sweedish Court: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

And really, what kind of morons name a file-swapping site PIRATE Bay?

It all goes back to a familiar refrain - I wish the recording industry (and other entertainment industries and companies) had gotten ahead of this issue way back when… way back when they had the opportunity. Letting things get to the courtroom stage does not often lead to the desired outcome.

Read the full Bloomberg.com article here.