blog： Business model

The deal, which was announced on 1 July, would see the new Pirate Bay host legal content, paying copyright holders for their work, and also paying file sharers for making their files available.

The company is also looking at harnessing the storage capacity and processing power of the file-sharing community, creating a powerful grid of peer-to-peer linked computers to share legitimate files.

Mr Pandeya said the unusual nature of The Pirate Bay did not sit comfortably with some Swedish bankers.

“You are not supposed to buy an illegal site,” he said. “This is out-of-the-box thinking.

“Because it is unconventional it is viewed with uncertainty by Swedish culture, even if I don’t view it that way.

“Because of that, they want details and 100% assurances, but in business that is not always something you can get,” he said.

Mr Pandeya said that despite this he was hopeful the Aktietorget would let GGF resume trading.

“Why stop trading when, in three days, we will find out if [the acquisition] is real?” he asked.