ABBA’s normally demure Bjorn Ulvaeus has taken a big Swedish swipe at illegal downloaders and supporters of the controversial file sharing website The Pirate Bay, calling them "lazy and mean".
Ulvaeus’ comments are impeccably timed, as four of the founder members of The Pirate Bay are currently on trial in Sweden for breach of copyright.
Writing on the Swedish news website Newsmill, Ulvaeus commented that "it’s easier and cheaper to steal than to download legally", adding that Torrent services simply facilitated the "’freedom’ to be mean and lazy."
While the web’s many tealeafs suggest that The Pirate Bay acts as a sort of online Robin Hood for music fans, but Ulvaeus is having none of it. Later in the message he writes: "Is it so fucking hard to understand? Is it really so damn difficult to pay your way?"
Bjorns feathers will no doubt be further ruffled by the trial itself, as thus far the Pirate Bay founders has seen 50 per cent of the charges dropped, and openly mocked the process with constant Twitter updates, calling the proceedings "boring".
