Swedish Filesharers Start 'The Piracy Party' 723
sp3tt writes "Tired of being called criminals, a group of Swedish filesharers have started a new political party, The Piracy Party (Piratpartiet in Swedish). The party wants to abolish all intellectual property laws, reverse the data retention directive passed by the EU last month, and protect privacy with new laws. The party expresses no opinion on other subjects. The Piracy Party's webpage is so far only available in Swedish, at piratpartiet.se The party's goal is to get into to the parliament, which requires 4% of the votes, or roughly 225000 votes. Elections are held in September."
Do Swede young males vote even? (Score:5, Interesting)
The big news here, to me, is that Sweden seems to allow minority opinions into their parliament (similar to Costa Rica and other countries). In the US it is near impossible to get a minority opinion into even a state legislature -- democracy and gerrymandering prevent the minority opinion from ever seeing the light of day.
225,000 votes is a LOT of votes. Does anyone know what the 18-30 male voting record is in terms of actually making it to the ballot box to vote? In recent local elections that I've witnessed (I like to watch), I haven't seen anything but blue haired ladies with walkers hitting the booths. I don't think I saw one person under the age of 40 at my booth (and I witnessed the voters for over 3 hours). I'm not sure how well this would work even if our voting system did allow for minority parties with minority positions to get elected.
Does bork bork bork mean "freedom to copy" now?
More Criminals should try this (Score:1, Interesting)
Are there really that many people, even on Slashdot, that think stealing intellectual property is not wrong?
What about the small guys..? (Score:2, Interesting)
Also, I think it would be better to abolish ones claim on intellectual property after a reason timespan, similar to how patents expire, with the exception that it's shorter. Like per se, 3 to 5 years.
This gives the creator some incentive to make a product, giving it an edge in the industry for a few years, and after that, when everyone's seen it and it's big boom is over, I think the bit of intellectual property should go to the community.
I think that this plan will work best with both sides. Demoting the greed that seems to lay on both sides.
Plus, is the developing world really hurting since they can't get a OEM copy of Windows? I think what's really hurting them is their seeming lack of food, fair trade policies, and a decent education.
Slashdot Poll!! (Score:2, Interesting)
As for the results,Question is whether they will have 99% or 100 % of sladotters votes!
Re:Going too far, most people just want a balance (Score:5, Interesting)
Please explain your view of why this is "anarchy" (defined by dictionary.com as "Absense of any form of political authority").
I know it may be hard for you to accept, but there are those who believe that intellectual property rights are more destructive than beneficial, and that any theoretical reduction in intellectual property production/IP quality is well worth the benefits of having all IP in the public domain. You may disagree with this viewpoint, but that's no reason to demean them with overly dramatic language for holding that viewpoint.
In fact, I would argue that you look at China as an example of what happens in a country with poor IP control. Almost all CDs sold in China are produced by professional pirates (not kids downloading music on their computers). Is there no domestic Chinese music industry? Hardly. Chinese musicians make most of their money through concerts, doing ad spots, and all sorts of other means.
Re:Do Swede young males vote even? (Score:3, Interesting)
Which says, "In 2002, over 14 million Americans age 12 and older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, and 12.2 percent of past year marijuana users used marijuana on 300 or more days in the past 12 months."
The US population at the time (including minors was 288 million) so:
14/288 = 0.0486111111111111
If the US had a parliamentary system and 4% was required for a party, I would guess there would be a marijuana party.
Keep in mind that the 14 million number is probably a gross underestimate.
Re:Do Swede young males vote even? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, that's the difference between a parliamentary system and the system here in the US.
Re: democracy: It's not democracy that's the problem -- it's the form of democracy in the US. Rules that favor a two-party system, etc. There's a reason that democracy has been called the tyranny of the majority.
Re: gerrymandering -- this doesn't kill third parties so much as it is used to prevent 2nd-party opposition from gaining ground. What really kills 3rd-parties is campaign finance -- few corporations will give tons of $$ to a party unlikely to have any pull when it comes time to pay the piper. Without having any pull, it's hard to get that critical mass of funding where a party can really get going.
Re:Going too far, most people just want a balance (Score:3, Interesting)
However if the period of time for these things is too long, then the creator will sit back on their existing creations. Things become stale. This is what we have now for the most part.
So a balance seems to be what is required. Enough of something to encourage people to create (which takes time and money) which benefits us all, whilst reducing the staleness that companies like Disney have running through them.
The pirates in China are making a parasitic living. Maybe the musicians over there accept that as a higher being they will have lower beings living off of them, it's natural. But it must suck to be in a band if the pirates are making more than you! On the other hand, they are spreading your work to people you couldn't reach yourself - unless they sold their CDs at a reasonable price too. That's the other issue - long copyrights and strict enforcement results in higher prices for society, again, this is bad for society and a sign of staleness, rotteness and foul corruption.
Re:No copyright == no GPL too! (Score:5, Interesting)
I am a strong believer that copyright laws create monsters like the RIAA -- whenever you have a law that offers an individual or a group the ability to use force (a government monopoly) over another individual or group, you'll have VERY bad abuses. I'm an author (blogger, book writer and I perform some private speaking engagements) and all my works are public domain. I used to own a software company (now strictly IT consulting) that produced numerous public domain products for my customer base.
The great part of removing myself from copyright protections is that I can now sell to my customers what I am capable of doing: face-to-face productions of my works. As a newsletter writer, I made more money on speaking engagements than on actually selling the newsletter. With copyright, I would need to use the force of government to force my readers to control their thoughts regarding my writings.
Sure, some big company can go and "steal" content, but they still need money to distribute it, and in the long run, those who can create content aren't really protected either. Have you seen how many actors, musicians and painters actually profit from their work? They don't, but the distribution cartels sure do.
Copyright does not protect anyone but those who control the copying: the distributors.
Re:Two questions: (Score:3, Interesting)
Right to privacy, but no Intellectual Property?? (Score:3, Interesting)
Umm, privacy is a form of Intellectual Property. If you're going to do away with IP, then you can't have Privacy. This stand doesn't make much sense to me.
Finnish (Score:3, Interesting)
N Verb Meaning
0 tehdä - to do
1 teettää - to have someone do
2 teetättää - to have someone have someone do
3 teetätättää to have someone have someone have someone do
N tee(tä)Nttää to (have someone)N do
And then there's one of my all time favourite dialogues, though not heavy on compound words:
"Älä räkkää kääkkää"
"En mä rääkkää kääkkääkään"
Roughly translates to:
"Don't pester the old man."
"I'm not even pestering the old man."
And the longest vocal structure in Finnish language:
hääyöaie - "(something you are going) to do during your wedding night" (and that was not an euphemism, it's the actual meaning of the word)
Re:No copyright == no GPL too! (Score:5, Interesting)
I believe VERY strongly in private property rights -- the right to do on your land what you want to do with your property, body and time. I think the Constitution originally was prepared to protect property rights, but over time things have changed.
I do not see any right to items that are no longer in your control. Once you sell, give away or barter an item to someone else, that item is that person's. If it is a book, they own the book -- what they do with the book is their inherent right. They can copy it, modify it, burn it, it doesn't matter, you reliquished control.
There are hundreds of thousands of slashdot readers who refute me -- but none of them seem to have every written a book, played music for an album or created a movie. In my experience, freeing your information for copying is the best way to get public speaking engagements, get people to come to your concert and get people to visit your theatre production. I find it ridiculous to think that someone should have a right to have a monopoly over words or actions -- they're not really protectable in a free market.
Copyright laws are strongest for the content distribution companies: I call them the content cartels. The RIAA, MPAA, the two book author associations and the other cartels that distribute content. Popular musicians make no money on their content, they usually make money at their shows. At many shows you can buy a T-shirt for $20 from the band or for $5 from the guy outside: many people buy from the band. How many times have you seen "popular" actors end up on Broadway or smaller theatre groups?
In the end, I prefer to see people making money for performing an action: putting someone on paper or CD or DVD form and hoping to make money by forcing others to disregard their private property rights is wrong to me. I will never use force against another person offensively: copyright is force.
Re:Stop it with the failed business model BS (Score:3, Interesting)
Art, be it music or any other form, rarely pays a decent living. Does that suck? Yes. But it is reality.
"And also spare us the idealistic "Well, if you don't like it, you can go indie" crap. It's hard enough making a living as a musician (or any other sort of artist, Web designers and commercial artists possibly excepted); it's even harder when you're indie."
No one said life was easy. Not my problem if you're art doesn't have enough market appeal to make you a living... get a day job, just like the semi-pro athletes who dream of making it big... or the actors waiting tables at night while auditioning every day. Give lessons or mow lawns or something.
You can scream and rail against the recording industry, but you DO have a choice.
BTW, I hate the recording industry. But I also think it's ridiculous for artists to think that they are 'forced' into signing with a major label.
Consider the example of a label that can choose to sign and promote whoever they wish... whoever they select will become popular and make millions for the company. All the bands/artists that don't get signed go home with empty pockets. All that example tells me is that there is an oversupply of 'artists' and that they are all pretty much interchangeable.
Why don't musicians unionize? It seems to have worked out pretty well for actors. That's a solution to your problems.
Re:Stop it with the failed business model BS (Score:3, Interesting)
They have. It's called the American Federation of Musicians. Mostly protects working/session musicians, just like SAG, Equity, and IATSE are mainly for working theatrical/movie people, not so much for stars.
Re:Two questions: (Score:4, Interesting)
Funny....if we try to do that here in the US...we get branded a 'racist'.
I've been getting a little pissed lately that EVERYTHING is written in Spanish and English. Nowdays, when I have to go through an automated phone system, it starts with a spanish message. What is the deal with that? What happened to immigrants moving to the US, and becoming assimilated into the 'melting pot'...learning English, and fitting into American society?
Sorry...but reading this just hit a hot spot with me of late. I mean...when you travel to another country outside of the US, with the exception of tourist areas...they don't have every sign in 5 different languages, they expect you to pick up on the native language of the country.
I recently heard that Alabama voted to have English as the official state language. All driving tests were in English only....and the ACLU is now suing them...what the hell?
Know what would be funny? (Score:3, Interesting)
As a Galambosian... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:What about stealing trade secrets? (Score:3, Interesting)
Tell me, if a company appropriated the trade secrets of a rival company without permission (what is commonly known as "stealing" trade secrets) would you consider that "stealing" even though the wronged company still has possession of copies of said secrets?
No, I would not. I usually hear such activities referred to as "industrial espionage" or "appropriation" of trade secrets in any reputable publication with competent writers.
I assume you would admit that it falls under one of the basic categories of "wrong", namely "lie", "cheat", "steal", "injure", "kill". So if not "stealing", then perhaps you'd be willing to call it "cheating"; I guess that eases your conscience when browsing for warez - "I'm not stealing, just cheating!!". LOL
Believe it or not, I don't have a strong stand when it comes to trade secrets. I'm certainly not sure they deserve legal protection on the order they are given. Almost all the valid cases I have heard in support of them are already covered by stock manipulation laws and slander/libel laws. I'm not sure I see any benefit to society for them, although the appropriation of them usually involves the breaking of other laws, and should be punished appropriately. For example, If I find a file folder open it and see a bunch of documents labeled "top secret, property of Microsoft" I'm not convinced that there is any ethical problem with myself or a newspaper printing the contents of that file folder. Although, the folder and contents themselves should be returned to the rightful owners.
BTW, dictionary definition of "steal": To take or appropriate without right or leave, with intent to keep or use wongly[sic].
Copied from another thread I posted this in: From Webster: Steal v. t. "To take, and carry away, feloniously; to take without right or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully; as, to steal the personal goods of another." You must have the abridged+spelling errors edition.
Who wants to help start our own party in the U.S.? (Score:2, Interesting)
We have enough people out there if they found out they would support us. Especially all those people who have been persecuted by the RIAA. The copyright for stuff has been constantly extened since the founding of this country. We need to reverse back to what it was so more stuff is back in Public Domain. We regain our Fair Use rights. It is harder to make backups of our video games now these days with Securom, Safedisc, and the other copy protections. What happened to a product you buy and being able to use it the way you want. Instead of buying a license to use it. If I buy a CD I want to rip it to put on my MP3 player. I want to back up my games so my original is kept safe from wear while I use the copy to play off usually in Virtual CD/DVD Drive for better performance. Itunes is doing good even though $.99 is somewhat high. RIAA is trying to jack the prices of the itunes songs up due to some sing being more popular. Things need to be a flat price. Just look at the different prices of TV to DVD shows. $80 a season for some and others $60,$40 or somewhere in between. The MPAA, RIAA, Congress, and software publishers have gone too far.
Even ISP getting sued for what their customers do. You explain security holes and get sued when they was trying to help. We might not call it piracy party, but we need a new political party besides the 2 oil loving big business monopoly parties we have. Why else would there be only 1 cable provider and 1 local telephone company in small cities. I lived in area there 4 cables companies all in one area. One in each city and not one would go in the other area and they controlled the prices. Finally the FCC came in and gave the city control to regulater the price increases. They constantly increase price, but don't add more service.
Who is with me in regaining our consumer rights?
Let's start the Consumer's Rights Party!
Re:Two questions: (Score:3, Interesting)