Pirate Party on course for election triumph

The Times reported that the pro-file-sharing party is now Sweden’s third largest political party, according to a new poll which put support at eight per cent, enough to give the party a number of seats in Brussels.

Rick Falk Vinge, the party’s leader, is reported as saying that the establishment and politicians have “declared war against our entire generation”.

“Our politicians are digital illiterates,” he added. “We need politicians that will not let themselves be bullied by foreign powers. To vote in the EU elections is more important than ever before.”

The Pirate Party was founded in early 2006 and strives to reform laws around copyright and patents, as well as strengthening the right to privacy.

When the owners of the Pirate Bay bit torrent tracker site were arrested soon after in May the same year, the party’s membership began to soar.

In related news, the ongoing appeal by the Pirate Bay founders against their prison sentence took another twist as the judge assigned to review the case, Ulrika Ihrfelt, was removed to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

The judge in the first trial, Tomas Nortstrom, was revealed after the case to have been a member of the Swedish Copyright Association and the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property, as were some members of the prosecution.

After defence lawyers lodged an appeal, a new judge, Ihrfelt, was appointed to review if there had in fact been a conflict of interest on the part of Nortstrom.

But it has now been revealed that she is affiliated to exactly the same pro-copyright organisations as the first judge.

The four founders of Pirate Bay face a year in jail and a fine of 30 million kronor (A$4.89 million).