An annual report titled “Intellectual Property, Jobs & Prosperity in the Nordic Region” aims to raise awareness about the value of intellectual property and highlight the significant challenges faced by the creative industry and rights-holders.
To address significant challenges, policy reforms are needed. A clear example is illegal IPTV, which crowds out legal broadcasters and diverts revenues to criminal organizations. Illegal IPTV is used by approximately 700,000 Swedish households, which annually pay 1.7 billion Swedish kroner (equivalent to about US$177 million) in subscription fees to criminal networks.
Among the report’s conclusions:
- More resources are needed to fight the criminal economy based on intellectual property infringement. The judicial system’s resources and competences should be further strengthened. Preventive measures, such as information campaigns about piracy in schools, are also an important part of the solution.
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Smaller companies need better opportunities to defend their rights. Court proceedings and mediation are perceived as too long and too expensive. Simpler and more cost-effective ways to defend intellectual property rights are needed
The report was supported by eighteen Swedish rights advocates, including organizations from the publishing, games, sports, film, TV, music and furniture industries, as well as the Swedish Rights Alliance and Nordic Content Protection, an anti-piracy organization made up of former law enforcement agents.
Recommendations
The regulatory framework must be improved – and enforced – in several areas:
These include:
- Improvement of intellectual property rights within the public sector.
- It must become easier and more effective to block illegal services, therefore administrative site blocking should be investigated.
- Resources within the intellectual property units are too limited. Both competence and resource reinforcement are needed for police and prosecutors.
- Copyright must be respected in the event of new technology shifts, particularly with the advent of AI.
Read the report
Intellectual Property, Jobs & Prosperity in the Nordic Region, 2025 Index. Report. April 2025. by Dr Nima Sanandaji, President of the European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform (ECEPR). Released by the Swedish Rights Alliance.
Why it matters
The report provides reference points for discussions with regulators and media industry stakeholders.
“We need modern legislation that provides effective protection,” said Sara Lindbäck of The Network for Modern Intellectual Property Law. “Those who commit infringements are often one step ahead, and therefore, it is crucial that we have an effective regulatory framework that keeps up and that is also enforced.”
“These are turbulent times, also for intellectual property rights,” added Ms Lindbäck. “Do we have adequate legislation that both gives rights holders effective protection in the event of infringement and opportunities to get paid for their work? At the same time, we are in a new technological shift with the development of AI, which risks impoverishing intellectual property rights if it is not handled correctly.”
