June 9th, 2009
Court says Pirate Bay judge not biased
Despite the fact that the judge in The Pirate Bay prosecution, Tomas Norström, is a member of several pro-copyright groups, he’s not biased, the Stockholm District Court has argued to the Svea Court of Appeal, which will rule on the issue, The Local, a Swedish news site, reports.
The memberships are simply a means to gain increased knowledge of copyright legislation issues and are not therefore grounds to establish bias, the court argues. On the contrary, the court argues, it is imperative that judges remain abreast of the issues.
The court also rejected accusations that Norström was hand-picked for the case.
This we strongly reject. The selection was made in adherence with the District Court’s rules of procedure,” Chief Justice Lena Berke at the District Court said. Due to a re-organization, the appointment for the case was changed but the procedure was open and objective, the court states.
Note that this is not a binding ruling. That decision will be made by the Court of Appeal, but the lower court’s finding will certainly be given respect and deference.
