Institute for Policy Innovation

A law enacted in Sweden similar to the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act has nearly halved Internet traffic in Sweden.

Just two days after the European Union's Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive was put into effect as a law in Sweden, Internet traffic sank more than 40 percent, according to the Netnod Internet Exchange, which measures Internet traffic.

Intellectual-property offenders face tougher penalties now that President Bush has signed into law the PRO-IP Act with greater penalties for piracy. The president signed the bill Monday.

The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007 passed both the House and Senate. The law gives government agencies tools to gather evidence for prosecution of intellectual-property crimes, provides funds to the Department of Justice to better enforce IP-related crimes, and boosts collaboration between agencies seeking to stop piracy.