Pirate To Jump Ship

A little more than a month after the Swedish appellate court ruled there would be no retrial in the Pirate Bay case and increasing speculation that the site will be sold to Global Gaming Factory, one of the four Pirate Bay co-founders is reportedly jumping ship.

“Today marks the end of a small era for me, but I am simply leaving a role in order to be a person instead,” Peter Sunde told the U.K.’s Wired magazine.

Sunde, usually the Pirate Bay spokesman, and his three colleagues are facing a year in prison following their spring convictions for facilitating copyright infringement.

They remain free pending the outcome of an appeal of their Stockholm convictions. They also face $3.8 million in fines.

The news of his departure came four days after Global, the Swedish-based software company that wants to buy Pirate Bay and turn it into a legal pay-to-play site, reportedly secured financing for a $7.7 million cash and stock deal.