The UK’s first Pirate Party has officially registered as a political party, meaning it can now raise funds and push its candidates in the next general election. The Party hopes to emulate the same popularity as the Swedish Pirate Party has gotten, largely due to the attention surrounding the Pirate Bay.
“Getting to this stage has been a long process, we’ve had to elect officers, raise funds, fill out forms, meet with some (very helpful) people at the Electoral Commission, and learn far more about electoral law and the special party funding rules that apply to Gibraltar than any same person would ever want to,” a site announcement reads.
“Now the party can really start. It’s time for us to tell the world that we exist, to recruit members, raise funds and gear up to fight the General Election. The officers and web team have built the framework that the party needs to get going, now it’s time for YOU to make things happen.
“Join the party, tell the media about the party,tell your friends about the party, take part in policy and news debates on the forum, join our Facebook group, donate or set up a regular payment to provide financial support, set up a branch in your constituency, school or workplace, join the specialist workings groups for members with key skills like lawyers and journalists and volunteer to take part in canvassing and campaigning in your constituency at the general election…”
More information for UK users: http://www.pirateparty.org.uk
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The judge who presided over the now infamous Pirate Bay trial was not biased according to a ruling from Sweden’s Court of Appeals.
Defense lawyers alleged Judge Tomas Norstrom’s membership in multiple organizations which advocate increasing the scope of copyright law should have disqualified him from hearing the Pirate Bay case. Although they were critical of Norstrom for failing to disclose these associations earlier, appellate court judges disagreed that there was any bias.
“We have reached the conclusion that we do not agree with the conflict of interest claim,” said appeals court judge Anders Eka.
Christian Engström of the Pirate Party, who was recently elected to represent Sweden in the European Parliament, was critical of the decision. He said “This is part of a pattern. It show that the Swedish legal system is no longer to be trusted when it comes to copyright cases. It’s a travesty of justice quite simply.”
An appeal of the guilty verdict is still ongoing, but it may be years before a final decision is reached.
Result for: pirate party
The four founders of The Pirate Bay torrent tracker, Peter Sunde, Carl Lundström, Frederik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, have filed an official appeal against a ruling that found them guilty of assisting copyright infringement, sentenced to one-year in prison and fined $3.6 million. The four always had planned to appeal a guilty verdict from day one of the trial, which kicked off in February 2009.
The case will now be referred to the Swedish Supreme Court, which may take a number of years to deliver a final decision on the case. Since the verdict was announced, there have been a number of DDoS attacks against the IFPI, demonstrations in Swedish cities and outside the country and a boost in membership for the country’s Pirate Party, which hopes to win a seat in the European Parliament.
The reaction from the entertainment industry was exactly what you would expect, as we reported earlier. Also, Paul McCartney is one celebrity who decided to comment on the decision, calling it “fair”. “If you get on a bus you’ve got to pay. And I think it’s fair you should pay your ticket,” he said.
For now, the site continues to be completely operational with no signs of it halting. “You, our beloved users, know that this little speedbump on the information super highway is nothing more than just, a little bump,” reads a defiant blog posting on the site.
