"Arr, Mr Speaker, the honourable member of the opposition is a SCURVY RAT!!!"

Haha. That's pretty cool. Go Swedes. I like political troublemakers of all stripes.

I call for a vote! yarrr!

"Global warming is a myth, yarrr!"

freedom!

sorry folks, you're just going to have to change your business models.
i can't copywrite a recipe. think of a dvd as a recipe and your computer the oven.

sacrileg: freedom!

sorry folks, you're just going to have to change your business models.
i can't copywrite a recipe. think of a dvd as a recipe and your computer the oven.

That's probably not the best possible analogy...

Can some helpful European enlighten this American: Other than copyright law reform (I assume), what does the Pirate Party stand for? I never hear anything about them outside of the context of IP-related issues.

The RIchest Man in Babylon: Can some helpful European enlighten this American: Other than copyright law reform (I assume), what does the Pirate Party stand for? I never hear anything about them outside of the context of IP-related issues.

Gettin as much booty as possible. duh

Aren't they also against patents? Wouldn't that away peoples urge to innovate if there's no hope of making a profit?

Listerine: That's probably not the best possible analogy...

Right. Burning a DVD is a good thing. Burning your recipe is bad, unless it's crème brûleé.

sacrileg: freedom!

sorry folks, you're just going to have to change your business models.
i can't copywrite a recipe. think of a dvd as a recipe and your computer the oven.

copyright is an almost useless concept in an always online/wired world, at least as it currently stands. The problem is that a lot of companies have spent a lot of money rewriting copyright laws to benefit themselves (and ONLY themselves) and then along came some hackers who figured out how to share data quickly and effectively, which made the entire concept of copyright law obsolete almost instantly. The companies who wrote those copyright laws are understandably upset about the whole thing...

The RIchest Man in Babylon: Other than copyright law reform (I assume), what does the Pirate Party stand for? I never hear anything about them outside of the context of IP-related issues.

That's pretty much it. But the thing you have to remember is Europe uses parliamentary systems pretty much everywhere. Unlike the US, where majority rules, in Europe parties may form coalitions to create a majority. Smaller one issue parties can join forces with more mainstream ones to build powerful coalitions. Heck, even a huge number of minor parties can join up- but the coalition is less stable (since more members means more chance of parties breaking out of the coalition).

Yellowgo: Aren't they also against patents? Wouldn't that away peoples urge to innovate if there's no hope of making a profit?

Well, one can still turn a profit- just not by patent squatting. You can turn a profit by selling the fruits of your idea.

Mind you, I don't agree. I'm in favor of both copyright and patent, although I think they need to be heavily revised. Patents should be limited to protecting novel inventions, chemicals, and other concrete goods, not business processes. Similarly, patents should not be granted on genes found in nature. The terms of patents are pretty good, but I'd shrink the term of copyright to 20 years.

I will not vote for them, but they are a better choice than the freeloading bastards in the established parties, that is for sure.

t3knomanser: Yellowgo: Aren't they also against patents? Wouldn't that away peoples urge to innovate if there's no hope of making a profit?

Well, one can still turn a profit- just not by patent squatting. You can turn a profit by selling the fruits of your idea.

Mind you, I don't agree. I'm in favor of both copyright and patent, although I think they need to be heavily revised. Patents should be limited to protecting novel inventions, chemicals, and other concrete goods, not business processes. Similarly, patents should not be granted on genes found in nature. The terms of patents are pretty good, but I'd shrink the term of copyright to 20 years.

If it were up to me? I'd say that if you create and patent something, you own it for 10 years. After that it's public domain. new drugs, new manufacturing techniques, blah blah. After a decade, it goes into the wild. No exceptions.

Approves

The RIchest Man in Babylon: Can some helpful European enlighten this American: Other than copyright law reform (I assume), what does the Pirate Party stand for? I never hear anything about them outside of the context of IP-related issues.

Abolishment of the patent system and protection of the right to privacy.

Their website

They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

Weaver95: copyright is an almost useless concept in an always online/wired world, at least as it currently stands. The problem is that a lot of companies have spent a lot of money rewriting copyright laws to benefit themselves (and ONLY themselves) and then along came some hackers who figured out how to share data quickly and effectively, which made the entire concept of copyright law obsolete almost instantly. The companies who wrote those copyright laws are understandably upset about the whole thing...

Well, yeah. They want to get something for that money they spent on lobbyists and bribes...

But you're right. Copyright is essentially irrelevant in a world where data can be copied endlessly and distributed covertly, anonymously, and effortlessly. And that trend will only get worse. It's probably a better idea for the media companies to concentrate on revising their business models to make money some way that doesn't depend on controlling access to their products. Because they're not going to be able to do that, regardless of what the law says. It's simply too easy and the interest in doing so is too great.

Unfortunately, this also works against our individual freedom and privacy, in that it's equally effortless to collect information on all of us and share/sell it endlessly. At least there though, I think there's some possible hope, in that one person's data has limited value for marketing etc. Bit different from the media universe where there is one centrally produced product with many people consuming identical copies of it...

Ooooooo, Geek tab, meet Politics tab.

This could be fun.

t3knomanser: The RIchest Man in Babylon: Other than copyright law reform (I assume), what does the Pirate Party stand for? I never hear anything about them outside of the context of IP-related issues.

That's pretty much it. But the thing you have to remember is Europe uses parliamentary systems pretty much everywhere. Unlike the US, where majority rules, in Europe parties may form coalitions to create a majority. Smaller one issue parties can join forces with more mainstream ones to build powerful coalitions. Heck, even a huge number of minor parties can join up- but the coalition is less stable (since more members means more chance of parties breaking out of the coalition).

Dansker: The RIchest Man in Babylon: Can some helpful European enlighten this American: Other than copyright law reform (I assume), what does the Pirate Party stand for? I never hear anything about them outside of the context of IP-related issues.

Abolishment of the patent system and protection of the right to privacy.

Their website

Thank ye both kindly.

/off to read about pirates.

JosephFinn: They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

Copyright violation is not the same thing as theft. You aren't taking something away from someone else when you violate their copyright; you're just breaking their right to charge for it. And if the Pirate Party can make it legal (unlikely), then it's not "theft" at all, anymore.

JosephFinn: They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

so does that make them Republican or Democrat?

JosephFinn: They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

How does that make them different?

Weaver95: JosephFinn: They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

so does that make them Republican or Democrat?

More Democrats I think, taking from people with lots of money (movie producers). Now if they were for making everyone pay extra because computers have the ability to download and then giving that money to one company that is headed by the party leader's old college roommate, I'd say Republican.

Weaver95: JosephFinn: They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

so does that make them Republican or Democrat?

It makes them politicians

We've got a lot of folks here who will vote for whoever has an arr by their name.

If capitalism worked, then when a company was obsolete, it would disappear. Since capitalism does not work, and obsolete companies instead punish people who are up-to-date and efficient, there is no choice but for consumers to intervene. And that is what government is for!

The EU: government that actually works!

SherKhan: We've got a lot of folks here who will vote for whoever has an arr by their name.

I just want a captain Barbossa hat. Monkey optional.

hyperspacemonkey: If capitalism worked, then when a company was obsolete, it would disappear. Since capitalism does not work, and obsolete companies instead punish people who are up-to-date and efficient, there is no choice but for consumers to intervene. And that is what government is for!

The EU: government that actually works!

What Swedish Pirate Party may look like.

Clock Spider Jerusalem: What Swedish Pirate Party may look like.

Not according to Google.

Clock Spider Jerusalem: What Swedish Pirate Party may look like.

That's a viking party, not a pirate party.

hyperspacemonkey: If capitalism worked, then when a company was obsolete, it would disappear. Since capitalism does not work, and obsolete companies instead punish people who are up-to-date and efficient, there is no choice but for consumers to intervene. And that is what government is for!

The EU: government that actually works!

NGHGHAGA CAPITALISM DOESN'T WORK YEAHHH. You mean like how in the states all the obsolete companies are disappearing? Oh wait they aren't, and that's not the fault of capitalism. Who's bailing them out?

if they would quit releasing the movies on DVD this wouldn't be such a problem. if you want to watch a movie go to a theater.

Weaver95: If it were up to me? I'd say that if you create and patent something, you own it for 10 years. After that it's public domain. new drugs, new manufacturing techniques, blah blah. After a decade, it goes into the wild. No exceptions.

Does this 10 years start upon the patenting or the marketing? Within myriad industries there's a significant lag time between filing the patent and actually making money off of it (testing, integrating, retooling, government approval, etc). Why is a company going to spend years and millions of dollars developing something that will be public domain almost as soon as they bring it to market?

Fano: JosephFinn: They are a party that advocates theft. Nothing else.

How does that make them different?

It makes them slightly more honest.

quizybuck: Weaver95: If it were up to me? I'd say that if you create and patent something, you own it for 10 years. After that it's public domain. new drugs, new manufacturing techniques, blah blah. After a decade, it goes into the wild. No exceptions.

Does this 10 years start upon the patenting or the marketing? Within myriad industries there's a significant lag time between filing the patent and actually making money off of it (testing, integrating, retooling, government approval, etc). Why is a company going to spend years and millions of dollars developing something that will be public domain almost as soon as they bring it to market?

If it takes 10 years to get a product to market, you DESERVE to fail.

Weaver95: copyright is an almost useless concept in an always online/wired world, at least as it currently stands. The problem is that a lot of companies have spent a lot of money rewriting copyright laws to benefit themselves (and ONLY themselves) and then along came some hackers who figured out how to share data quickly and effectively, which made the entire concept of copyright law obsolete almost instantly. The companies who wrote those copyright laws are understandably upset about the whole thing...

Right, so the law became easier to break, and therefore obsolete. The Internet also made fraud and identity theft substantially easier; should we get rid of those laws too because their entire concepts became obsolete as soon as the 419 scam was invented?

Weaver95: If it takes 10 years to get a product to market, you DESERVE to fail.

I think this is all the information I need regarding your understanding of research, development, government regulation and manufacturing.

What a member of the Pirate party might look like

RAmen

quizybuck: Weaver95: If it takes 10 years to get a product to market, you DESERVE to fail.

I think this is all the information I need regarding your understanding of research, development, government regulation and manufacturing.

Research and development is fine, but if you need a decade to get through government bullshiat then it's not your company that's got the problem.....

Weaver95: Research and development is fine, but if you need a decade to get through government bullshiat then it's not your company that's got the problem.....

So when even the government admits that it takes 10 years from development to approval of a drug, this is somehow the patentholder's fault?

onyxia: Weaver95: copyright is an almost useless concept in an always online/wired world, at least as it currently stands. The problem is that a lot of companies have spent a lot of money rewriting copyright laws to benefit themselves (and ONLY themselves) and then along came some hackers who figured out how to share data quickly and effectively, which made the entire concept of copyright law obsolete almost instantly. The companies who wrote those copyright laws are understandably upset about the whole thing...

Right, so the law became easier to break, and therefore obsolete. The Internet also made fraud and identity theft substantially easier; should we get rid of those laws too because their entire concepts became obsolete as soon as the 419 scam was invented?

no, we only want to take away laws when it works to our advantage. Don't you understand how to play this game?

LewDux:
This is viking party

Okay, that's a definite +1 internetz for you, sir.

Fly under our Party's Flag and be touched by his noodly appendage.

It's a Pirate Party!

Ahoy there me heartys!

/obscure?
//not if you're a parent..
///sigh....

Ashtrey: Clock Spider Jerusalem: What Swedish Pirate Party may look like.

Not according to Google.

That is awesome!

Go PP!