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Yes—Sweden recorded zero people criminally charged for file-sharing or streaming-related offenses in 2019, according to information from the Swedish Prosecutor’s Office reported by TorrentFreak. The same account reported 23 piracy-related offenses that year, the lowest total since 2010. Those figures describe a low point in criminal enforcement; they do not mean online piracy was legal or that investigations and civil copyright claims stopped.
What Sweden’s “zero charges” figure means
The figure refers to people criminally charged in Sweden during calendar year 2019 for a file-sharing or streaming-related crime. It is not a count of every person suspected of piracy, every investigation, or every copyright dispute. The 23 reported offenses and zero people charged are separate measures: one counts reported offenses, while the other concerns criminal charges, according to Prosecutor’s Office information reported by TorrentFreak.
The report described 23 as the lowest number of reported piracy-related offenses since 2010. The directly accessible official annual-report material does not reproduce the full 2010–2019 series, so the 23 figure should be attributed to TorrentFreak’s account of Prosecutor’s Office information rather than presented as a figure taken from the annual report itself.
Did zero charges make torrenting legal in Sweden?
No. A year with no criminal charges is an enforcement statistic, not a change in copyright law or blanket permission to distribute or access copyrighted material without authorization. It also does not establish that no one was investigated or received a civil demand. The Swedish Prosecution Authority continued to describe illegal streaming and file-sharing as significant intellectual-property problems in 2022; it reported that about 80% of Swedish intellectual-property cases concerned copyright infringement. Swedish Prosecution Authority
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Why criminal piracy cases can be difficult to bring
Swedish authorities say unauthorized file-sharing generally requires supporting evidence beyond an allegation before an indictment can be brought. That may involve questioning witnesses, seizing devices, and technical investigation. Evidence located abroad and the need for mutual legal assistance can also lengthen an investigation. Swedish Prosecution Authority guidance on intellectual-property crime
The technology involved has also shifted. The Prosecution Authority has identified illegal film streaming and illegal IPTV, alongside file-sharing, as ongoing enforcement concerns. Its 2022 account said illegal film streaming and other illegal file-sharing were a major problem in Sweden. Swedish Prosecution Authority
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sweden’s piracy enforcement before and after 2019
The zero-charge year was not the start or end of Swedish action against online piracy. In February 2018, prosecutors announced charges against two men accused of administering rarat.org and making 113 films available to the public without authorization. Swedish Prosecution Authority
Enforcement continued after 2019, too. In a 2026 notice, Sweden’s courts reported a conviction involving illegal IPTV activity: unauthorized public transmission of films and aiding unauthorized retransmission of protected broadcasts. Sveriges Domstolar
Together, these examples show why the 2019 figure is best understood as a trough in criminal charges, not as proof that unauthorized distribution or retransmission had become lawful or tolerated.
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