The case, which was brought against the website by Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN reportedly caught Pirate Bay administrators Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Peter Sunde unawares.

They say they received no official summons and were not aware of the case. "The Pirate Bay is not a legal person who can be summoned, but a cooperative," the court said.

Because the trio weren't present at the hearing, the court issued a default judgment in BREIN's favour. In a counter move, ...