[Infowarrior] - Pirate Bay is Bought?

Tue Jun 30 12:27:31 UTC 2009

(One wonders if this indeed is "real" or just a joke......if the  
former, I suspepct it will lose its underground luster and popularity  
by day's end today.  If the latter, bravo to them for an out-of-cycle  
April Fools' prank. ---rick)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/global-gaming-factory-x-acquisitions-of-the-pirate-bay-and-new-file-sharing-technology-p2p-20

Jun 30, 2009, 3:14 a.m. EST
Global Gaming Factory X: Acquisitions of The Pirate Bay and New File -  
Sharing Technology, p2p 2.0
Pave the Way for Compensation Model

STOCKHOLM, Jun 30, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The listed software  
company, Global Gaming Factory X AB (publ) (GGF) acquires The Pirate  
Bay website, http://www.thepiratebay.org, one of the 100 most visited  
websites in the world and the technology company Peerialism, that has  
developed next generation file-sharing technology. Following the  
completion of the acquisitions, GGF intends to launch new business  
models that allow compensation to the content providers and copyright  
owners. The responsibility for, and operation of the site will be  
taken over by GGF in connection with closing of the transaction, which  
is scheduled for August 2009.

"We would like to introduce models which entail that content providers  
and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the  
site, " said Hans Pandeya, CEO GGF.

"The Pirate Bay is a site that is among the top 100 most visited  
Internet sites in the world. However, in order to live on, The Pirate  
Bay requires a new business model, which satisfies the requirements  
and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end  
users, and the judiciary. Content creators and providers need to  
control their content and get paid for it. File sharers 'need faster  
downloads and better quality, " continues Hans Pandeya.

GGF acquires domain names and related web sites, including http://www.thepiratebay.org 
. The consideration for the purchase amounts to MSEK 60 consisting of  
at least MSEK 30 in cash and up to the equivalent of MSEK 30 in the  
form of newly issued shares in GGF (according to valuation in  
connection with the completion of the acquisition). The stock share of  
the purchase price is expected to be equivalent to a maximum of three  
per cent of the total number of outstanding shares of GGF after the  
acquisition. In the case that three percent of the shares is not  
equivalent to 30 MSEK, the major shareholder of GGF has declared that  
he will contribute the equivalent in cash.

GGF has entered into an agreement to acquire the shares in Peerialism  
AB. Peerialism AB is a software technology company with its origin in  
KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SICS, Swedish Institute of  
Computer Science and which presently is owned by the employees. The  
owners as well as the employees will continue to work for the company.  
Peerialism develops solutions for data distribution and distributed  
storage based on new p2p- technology. The access to the technology is  
secured by the acquisition. The consideration amounts to in aggregate  
MSEK 100 consisting of at least MSEK 50 in cash and up to the  
equivalent of MSEK 50 in newly issued shares in GGF (according to  
valuation during a period of ten days after the announcement). The  
share part of the purchase price should not exceed five percent of the  
total number of shares in GGF after the transaction. In addition GGF  
has undertaken to make initial investments of MSEK 25 in the acquired  
business.

"Peerialism has developed a new data distribution technology which now  
can be introduced on the best known file - sharing site, The Pirate  
Bay. Since the technology is compatible with the existing it will  
quickly allow for new values to be created for all key stakeholders  
and facilitate new business opportunities", says Johan Ljungberg, CEO  
Peerialism.

Completion of the acquisitions are primarily subject to GGF obtaining  
financing for the acquisition, that any necessary resolutions are  
adopted by a General Meeting of GGF, and that GGF and the Board of  
Directors consider that the acquired assets can be used in a legally  
and appropriate way. GGF intends to issue new shares in order to  
obtain the necessary financing for the acquisition. The acquisition is  
deemed to be completed in August 2009. In connection therewith, the  
ownership of, and responsibility for, the acquired assets will be  
transferred to GGF.

"As a result of the acquisitions of The Pirate Bay and Peerialism, GGF  
will have a strategic position in the international digital  
distribution market. File sharing traffic is estimated to account for  
more than half of today's global Internet traffic. The Pirate Bay has  
a global brand and holds a key position with over 20 million visitors  
and over one billion page views per month," says Hans Pandeya.

A Press briefing will be held on June 30th 2009 at 11.00 at  
Sparvagshallarna, Birger Jarlsgatan 57 A, Stockholm.

Global Gaming Factory X AB (publ) has been listed on Aktietorget since  
2006 GGFX has the largest network of Internet cafes and game centers  
and provides software. GGFX thus has access to the largest group of  
games players on the Internet. The company's principal shareholders  
are Magnus Bergman (Chairman), Hans Pandeya, (CEO) and Johan  
Sellstrom, (CTO) (for more details see attached CV and http://www.globalgamingfactory.com 
).

The Pirate Bay is one of the 100 most visited Internet sites in the  
world and one of the leading search engines for file sharing. The site  
has more than 20 million visitors and over one billion searches per  
month.

Peerialism AB develops solutions to transport and store data over  
Internet based on new p2p technologies. The solutions are capable of  
large scale media distribution with clear advantages over existing  
solutions; it makes better use of networks resources whilst reducing  
ISP traffic and significantly lowering the cost of media distribution.  
The technology has its origin from research projects within SICS  
(Swedish Institute for Computer Science) and KTH (Kungliga Tekniska  
Hogskolan). The head of research at SICS, Seif Haridi who also is a  
professor at KTH will continue to be advisor to Peerialism.The company  
was founded in 2007 and has 14 employees and is based in Stockholm  
(more information http://www.peerialism.com, http://www.sics.com, http://www.kth.se 
).

Background The market for the consumption and distribution of digital  
media is characterised by a complex landscape of both national and  
international legislation with difficult conflicts between different  
areas of law - not least in balancing copyright law and rights of  
privacy. This has led to a widespread global debate among opinion- 
makers, politicians, academics, the general public and business people.

In addition to the responsibilities of the individual Internet user,  
the responsibility for user-generated material is diversely allocated  
between different market participants and may also vary from country  
to country. However, both U.S. and European law place certain  
obligations on Internet Service Providers (ISP) and on Information  
Society Service Providers (ISSP) to prevent the distribution of  
unauthorised or illegal material. Time consuming legislative work and  
costly litigation are taking place in all parts of the world as a  
result of the demands posed by the technological evolution on the  
rules that are to apply.

All market participants, e.g. technology and broadband providers,  
various service providers, search engines and rights' holders would  
all benefit from a clearer legal landscape that enables safe  
investments and the continued evolution of the information society.  
GGF wants to accept the challenge to position itself as a respectable  
participant in the market and contribute to Internet's infrastructure,  
with the goal to establish working models for co-operation and a clear  
allocation of responsibilities on market terms, respecting both  
intellectual property rights and the rights of privacy.

Below you can find a selection of links related to the discussion; http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4206.html

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/18/is-google-the-next-pirate-bay-in-a-word-no/http://cci.mit.edu/research/prediction.html

CV - Global Gaming Factory X AB Hans Chandra Pandeya, CEO St.  
Columba's School, New Delhi, MSc Engineering Physics, Royal Institute  
of Technology, KTH, Sweden and MBA Harvard Business School.

Co-founder of Bargain Pages, an advertising paper for free ads in  
Birmingham, UK. Sold to one of the biggest classifieds publishers in  
Europe. Co-founder of Ad-Mag, advertising papers for free ads in  
India. Co-founder of advertising papers for free ads in Australia.  
Sold to John MacBain's Trader Classified Media, the biggest  
classifieds publisher in the world.

CEO of Interline Networks, an Internet telephony network in Sydney,  
Australia. Launched a web phone for free phone calls in 2000.

Founder and owner of Unika Bostader AB, a property developer in  
Stockholm, Sweden.

Worked with advertising papers, IT companies, and property development  
for 17 years.

Johan Sellstrom, Technical Director

MSc Engineering Physics, Royal Institue of Technology, (KTH) Sweden.

Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Icon Medialab, one of the  
biggest IT consultancy firms in Europe.

Analytical methods and implementation, Aeronautical Institue of  
Sweden, SAAB Military Aircraft, Volvo.

Magnus Bergman, Chairman

MSc in Aeronautics, Royal Institue of Technology, (KTH) Sweden, PhD in  
Physics, Institute National Polytechnique, Toulouse, France.

Co-founder and CEO of Parallel Consulting Group AB that was sold to  
Icon Medialab in 1999.

Former Director of Icon Medialab. Co-founder and CEO of Cross Connect  
Network Group AB.

Chairman of Mobispine AB, Efield AB, CrossVenture Capital AB.

More than 20 years of experience in development of IT companies in the  
areas of parallell computing, advanced computer technology, IT  
security, application interfaces, communication and methodology.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com

SOURCE: Global Gaming Factory X

Hans Pandeya, CEO, Global Gaming Factory X AB, +46 733 16 42 10
or
Media contact, + 46 706 55 24 36