Four Swedish men linked to The Pirate Bay, a huge free file-sharing website, have each been jailed for a year for breaching copyright and ordered to pay the equivalent of 2.4 million pounds in compensation.

The Pirate Bay allows users to post music, movies, computer games and other files which other people can then download for free, thus depriving entertainment companies and artists of royalties. The website does not store the files themselves but does provide links so that users can find them somewhere else.

Following the landmark case, analysts said the guilty verdict could help music and film companies recoup millions of dollars in lost revenues but they questioned whether it would do much to stop web users illegally downloading files.

The men linked to The Pirate Bay were charged last year with conspiracy to break copyright law and related offences but denied the charges. They described the outcome of the trial as “bizarre”.

What do you think of the guilty verdict? Was the court right to jail and fine the men? Was it an important step in protecting copyrighted materials against illegal downloads, or was it unfair considering that no such material is stored on The Pirate Bay’s servers and no actual swapping of files takes place on the site?

Noddy and Big Ears had their makeovers years ago – now it’s the turn of the Famous Five.

In a new Disney Channel series, the sons and daughters of Enid Blyton’s four adventurers are back in manga cartoon form as multicultural, techno-hip dudes on the trail of eco-evil with the ever-faithful dog Timmy. No room for ginger beer and jolly japes here.

What next? Richmal Crompton’s “William” as an asbo-carrying hoodie?

Were you a Famous Five fan? And what do you think of the idea of updating them for the 21st century?