Pirate Bay: Head Investigator Employed by Warner Bros

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Pirate Bay: Head Investigator Employed by Warner Bros
by: Tom Corelis

A screenshot allegedly taken of Jim Keyzer's Facebook profile, with his new employer clearly visible. (Source: Kopit.se)
Investigation may be compromised

New allegations from Pirate Bay’s Peter Sunde surfaced over the weekend, connecting investigator Jim Keyzer in the police case against The Pirate Bay to an improper relationship with one of the case’s instigators, Warner Music.

A press release from The Pirate Bay says that Keyzer is expected to be a key witness in the media industry’s case, and that he may have been responsible for canceling a lawsuit where The Pirate Bay attempted to sue a number of media companies for “digital trespassing.”

The site says it discovered that Keyzer was under the employ of Warner Bros as early as March 16, when Swedish-language blog Kopit.se discovered that he joined the “Warner Bros” network and changed his listed employment information accordingly. The Pirate Bay says it called Keyzer to confirm the change of information, which he acknowledged as being the reward for “work well done” for his new employer.

Monique Wadsted, an intellectual property lawyer representing Hollywood in the criminal case, confirmed Keyzer’s change in employment, likewise confirming that Keyzer’s employment was probably for a “job well done.” However, she said that Keyzer’s investigation was completely aboveboard, with “nothing inappropriate” done to corrupt the work of the police inquiry.

“Talk about a legal outrage,” says Sunde. “Keyzer is in charge of the investigation. No matter the reasons to switch employer, this investigation has not been fair. We have felt that the investigation has concentrated on trying to locate something to point out as wrong with The Pirate Bay instead of determining if the activities of the site are unlawful or not.”

According to Sunde’s lawyer, Peter Athlin, if The Pirate Bay’s allegations are true, then the current investigation will have to be “remade,” presumably with police investigators starting over to build their case.