Pirate Party

Pirate parties logo

Pirate Party is a label adopted by political parties in different countries. Pirate parties support civil rights, direct democracy and participation in government, reform of copyright and patent law, free sharing of knowledge (open content), information privacy, transparency, freedom of information, anti-corruption and network neutrality.

History

The Swedish Piratpartiet, founded on 1 January 2006 under the leadership of Rickard Falkvinge, was the first pirate party. The party's name was derived from Piratbyrån^[1] an organization opposed to intellectual property. Members of Piratbyrån had previously founded the BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay.^[2] Piratbyrån was an organization founded to oppose the lobbyism of the anti-piracy group Antipiratbyrån. The "pirate" label, which had been used by the media and film industries in campaigns against copyright infringement, is therefore a reappropriation of the word.^[3][4]

Parties in other countries, such as the Pirate Party of Austria (founded in July 2006) and the Pirate Party Germany (September 2006), were inspired by the Swedish example. In October 2006, Pirate Parties International was founded as an umbrella organization. In the European Parliament election of 2009 the Swedish Pirate Party received 7.1 percent of the votes, winning two seats and achieving the first major success of a Pirate Party in an election. The German Pirate Party managed to win 8.9 percent of the votes in the Berlin state election, 2011.^[5] The Czech Pirate Party won the international race to get a pirate politician to national parliament when a joint pirate candidate, Libor Michálek, was elected in the 2012 senate election.^[6]

The biggest election victory in national parliamentary elections of any pirate party was in Iceland where they received 5.1% of the electorate on the 27th of April 2013, gaining 3 seats out of 63 in the Althing.^[7]

Common policies

1. Defend the freedom of expression, communication, education; respect the privacy of citizens and civil rights in general.
2. Defend the free flow of ideas, knowledge and culture.
3. Support politically the reform of copyright and patent laws.
4. Have a commitment to work collaboratively, and participate with maximum transparency.
5. Do not accept or espouse discrimination of race, origin, beliefs and gender.
6. Do not support actions that involve violence.
7. Use free software, free hardware, DIY and open protocols whenever possible.
8. Politically defend an open, participative and collaborative construction of any public policy.
9. Direct democracy
10. Open access
11. Open data
12. Solidarity economy, Economy for the Common Good and promote solidarity with other pirates.
13. Share whenever possible.

Copyright and censorship

Some campaigns have included demands for the reform of copyright and patent laws via policies opposing internet censorship and surveillance.^[8] One report cited a "fundamental incompatibility" between unrestricted freedom of speech and child pornography.^[9] A comparison was elsewhere made between the 1980s pro-pedophilia groups that "flirted with the Greens".^[10] In 2010, Swedish MEP Christian Engström called for supporters of amendments to the Data Retention Directive to withdraw their signatures,^[11] citing a misleading campaign.^[12]

International organizations

  Elected in EU Parliament

  Elected nationally

  Elected locally

  Registered for elections

  Registered in some states

  Unregistered but active

  Status unknown

Pirate Parties International

Pirate Parties International (PPI) is the umbrella organization of the national Pirate Parties. Since 2006 the organization has existed as a loose union^[13] of the national parties. Since October 2009, Pirate Parties International has had the status of a non-governmental organization (Feitelijke vereniging) based in Belgium. The organization was officially founded at a conference from 16 to 18 April 2010 in Brussels, when the organization's statutes were adopted by the 22 national pirate parties represented at the event.^[14]

The Pirate Parties International Foundation helps to establish Pirate parties around the world. It operates forums and mailing lists for communication between the national parties. The Pirate Parties International is governed by a board, led by co-chairs Maša Čorak and Koen De Voegt.

European Pirate Party

The European Pirate Party (PPEU) is a European political party founded in September 2013 which consists of various pirate parties within European countries.^[15]

Pirates without Borders

Pirates Without Borders is an international association of pirates. Unlike Pirate Parties International (which accepts only parties as voting members and organizations as observing members), Pirates Without Borders accept individuals as members. The PWB see themselves as a basis for international projects. Through global cooperation, they strive to reveal the impact of multinational trade agreements on all people on Earth, and foster freedom and democracy.^[16] PWB originates from an independent committee for the coordination of Pirate parties in German-speaking countries, known as DACHLuke (DACHL = Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Luxembourg).

Since the Pirate Parties International Conference 2011 on 12 and 13 March 2011, PWB is an "observing member" of Pirate Parties International. The previously independent project "pirate streaming" has become a part of Pirates without Borders since 3 May 2011.

Parti Pirate Francophone

In Parti Pirate Francophone, the French-speaking Pirate Parties are organized. Current members are the pirates parties in Belgium, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Canada and Switzerland.

European Union elections

2009

2013

^*Held in 2013 due to Croatia's entry into EU

2014

^*Party only participated in North West England constituency
^**PPAT is in alliance with two other parties: The Austrian Communist Party and Der Wandel. The alliance is called “Europa Anders” and also includes some independents in their lists
^***with Ecological Greens
^****PPEE are campaigning for an independent candidate (Silver Meikar) who supports the pirate program

National elections

National parties

Outside Sweden, pirate parties have been started in over 40 countries,^[17] inspired by the Swedish initiative.

See also

• DemocracyOS

References

External links

Media related to Pirate parties at Wikimedia Commons

• Pirate Party International, official website.

Pirate parties International Pirate Parties International European Pirate Party Pirates Without Borders Parti Pirate Francophone Parties Africa Morocco South Africa Tunisia Pirate Party Tunisian Pirate Party Americas Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador Guatemala Mexico Peru United States Uruguay Asia China Israel Kazakhstan Nepal South Korea Taiwan Europe Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska) Bulgaria Catalonia Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Galicia Germany Greece Pirate Party of Greece Pirates - Direct Democratic Movement of Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Montenegro The Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovenia Slovakia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Oceania Australia New Zealand People Amelia Andersdotter Andy Halsall Angelika Beer Anna Troberg Birgitta Jónsdóttir Carlos Ayala Christian Engström Christof Leng Denis Simonet Dirk Hillbrecht Florian Hufsky Harald Haas Herbert Rusche Jens Seipenbusch Jerry Weyer Julia Reda Laurence "Loz" Kaye Libor Michálek Lola Voronina Martin Haase Mikkel Paulson Patrick Mächler Rickard Falkvinge Samir Allioui Sebastian Nerz Slim Amamou Smári McCarthy Stefan Flod Sven Clement Youth wings Europe Germany Sweden