Interview with Swedish Pirate Party leader Rickard Falkvinge

[BWF89]

MP3s for the people? The Pirate Party (official site), a new Swedish political party first publicized in January, wants to legalize sharing music, movies, and other copyrighted content using the Internet. What may seem like a doomed effort by a small group of idealists is attracting significant media attention, in part due to a recent police raid on The Pirate Bay, an extremely popular BitTorrent tracker (see Wikinews coverage).

The Pirate Bay allows people to download content listed in its database using the BitTorrent protocol (including the latest Hollywood movies or computer games) and has gained something of an international cult status, in part for its public and irreverent responses to legal threats received from copyright lawyers of major corporations. The site was reopened days after the raid on Dutch servers (but is now back in Sweden again). Rickard Falkvinge, leader of the Pirate Party, argues that regardless of the legal outcome in the case, the web site demonstrates that copyright law in its current form is not sustainable.

Adopting the moniker of the maligned "Internet pirates", the party argues for drastically limiting the scope and enforcement of copyright law, abolishing patent law, and protecting privacy in what it sees as a "control and surveillance society" (party principles). The party is hoping to garner enough votes in the September election to become a small but important faction in the next Swedish parliament. Rickard Falkvinge found some time in between interviews and party work to answer our questions.
Their solution looks alot better than what we have now. I wish we had a Pirate Party in the US that had atleast a few percent of the voters.

Full interview (http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/%22Avast_ye_scurvy_file_sharers%21%22:_Interview_w ith_Swedish_Pirate_Party_leader_Rickard_Falkvinge)

[catty0320]

do they need more weapons and ammo to fend off the cops again, as they rule the high bandwidth

[Miguel]

Just a stupid question. It can be mathematically shown (no doubts) that a Divx and a DVD are different files. Does then copyright hold? The same would go for digital audio and ogg files. They do contain different information.

[catty0320]

can i have a link to the site?

if i use commercial software for anything i dont like supporting the company.

[OffHand]

Just a stupid question. It can be mathematically shown (no doubts) that a Divx and a DVD are different files. Does then copyright hold? The same would go for digital audio and ogg files. They do contain different information.
Doesn't matter. Still copyright on them. I for one, as an artist, am not against copyright at all. On the other hand I don't care about piracy either. It's a complicated matter but in general I have the opinion they should not sue ordinary people, only the criminal organizations who want to make money out of it. I look at it this way... if I have seen the movie in the cinema and rented it at the videoshop I don't feel bad downloading it since they have got my money already. With music it is another thing but I paid my share to the artists (been dj-ing for 12 years with records I bought).

[crypto178]

Just a stupid question. It can be mathematically shown (no doubts) that a Divx and a DVD are different files. Does then copyright hold? The same would go for digital audio and ogg files. They do contain different information.

Yes, of course. For instance, if you take a picture of a sculpture, and want to use that photographic material in one your works, you must ask the scultper's permission. Another example is google print. Google has been criticized for scanning printed books in order to put them online in the search engine without asking for the authors permission. Of course, said authors can request for their work to be taken off google print, but the law isn't supposed to work that way, google has to ask first.
So these laws are very broad, and a mere change of media (or changes in the binary data as you suggest) isn't sufficient to escape them.

[Kvark]

Their solution looks alot better than what we have now. I wish we had a Pirate Party in the US that had atleast a few percent of the voters.

Full interview (http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/%22Avast_ye_scurvy_file_sharers%21%22:_Interview_w ith_Swedish_Pirate_Party_leader_Rickard_Falkvinge)
You do have a Pirate Party in the US (http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,71180-0.html?tw=wn_politics_1).

They are less then a month old, time will tell if they can grow into a real political party. I think it'll be a lot harder in the homeland of MPAA and RIAA. Swedish media takes the Pirate Party seriously, I can't imagine US media would ever do that. Big corporations with big money have a lot more power in US then in Sweden. The Greens are one of 7 parties in the Swedish parliament. The Greens in the US? ...It doesn't seem so easy to get into the parliament over there.

But I guess the Pirate Party of the United States has to at least try.

[G Morgan]

The problem with the Pirate Party in the US is they don't have $1B to buy their way into office and they are hardly going to get sponsorship from the **AA are they. Personally I think corperate contributions to political entities should be banned.

[BWF89]

You do have a Pirate Party in the US (http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,71180-0.html?tw=wn_politics_1).

They are less then a month old, time will tell if they can grow into a real political party. I think it'll be a lot harder in the homeland of MPAA and RIAA. Swedish media takes the Pirate Party seriously, I can't imagine US media would ever do that. Big corporations with big money have a lot more power in US then in Sweden. The Greens are one of 7 parties in the Swedish parliament. The Greens in the US? ...It doesn't seem so easy to get into the parliament over there.

But I guess the Pirate Party of the United States has to at least try.
I saw the US Pirate Party but I ment that I wish we had a Pirate Party that got as much media attention in the US as Sweeden's does in Sweeden.

[dvarsam]

I believe the following:

1. Music should be free to download/play/share after a 15 year period - no matter what!
(New versions: e.g. re-mix, re-edit or whatever new versions can postpone for 5 more years...)

2. Videos/Movies should be free to download/play/share after a 15 year period - no matter what!
(New versions: e.g. re-mix, re-edit or whatever new versions can postpone for 5 more years...)

3. Computer Games should be free to download/play/share after a 15 year period - no matter what!
(New versions: e.g. re-mix, re-edit or whatever new versions can postpone for 5 more years...)


Conclusion:

I can hardly think of myself growing old & still must pay to listen to music I used to listen in my youth time!!!

I consider it ridiculous that the performer must die & only after 20 years or so, I can listen to his music freely!

That means, I can never really listen to the music I grew up with!!!
I will probably also be dead on those 20 coming years after the performer's death!!!

Totally ridiculous!!!

[Kvark]

I consider it ridiculous that the performer must die & only after 20 years or so, I can listen to his music freely!

That means, I can never really listen to the music I grew up with!!!
I will probably also be dead on those 20 coming years after the performer's death!!!

Totally ridiculous!!!
WTO requires that copyright must last at least life+50. Any country that has an unacceptably short copyright protection of only life+20 as you say will not be able to become members of WTO. Many countries have life+70 to be on the safe side of WTO's requirements.

But I agree that it's ridiculous. I'm 21, if I make a game now and live until I'm 91 then you won't be allowed to play the game without a licence from me until the year 2146... As if I would care if some bored colonists on mars play the game in 2145.

[weasel fierce]

One issue parties tend to fail. If they expand their goals a bit more, to other, similar things, then they might stand a chance.

I do believe that a 10 or 15 year period should be the "expiration" for when something becomes public access and freely sharable.

[BWF89]

One issue parties tend to fail. If they expand their goals a bit more, to other, similar things, then they might stand a chance.
Pirate Party wasn't really intended to get tons of seats in the house, it was to influence existing parties to lessen copyright restrictions, which as happened.

@dvarsam: Your copyright proposal is what the original copyright was in America. You could copyright a work for 16 years and renew it for another 16 years if you wanted.

[Alpha_toxic]

Just some stats...
Just some stats...
... here are some reasons why TPB is down sometimes - and how long it usually takes to fix:
Tiamo gets *very* drunk and then something crashes: 4 days
Anakata gets a really bad cold and noone is around: 7 days
Тhe US and Swedish gov. forces the police to steal our servers: 3 days
.... yawn.


I dont know where you are located, obviusly not in sweden, but this issue is HUGE over here, the Piracy Beuro, the pirate party and the piratebay is in the mainstream news every day. This issue is at the top political level and will be very importand issue in the upcoming election in september.

About 11% of swedens population is filesharing and i would guess (many many polls suggest this aswell) that the majority is upset with the law, and feels that the police should do more importand things than running around chasing their kids that download or average people that was criminalized over night 1 year ago.

Belive me, the debate is loud, the "pirates" is being heard and its HUGE here.

Meaby you dont like the name and that they label themself pirate that pirate this, but its with sarcasm and humor, the Piracy Beuro was created after the Anti piracy Beuro, so the creaters of the piracy Beuro felt that the anti piracy Beuro needed something to be Anti against as a joke. It got huge of cource and they now have 60 000 members or something.
The piracy party have grown from 2000 to over 6000 members in a day or two after the raid.

read the sig

[BWF89]

@Alpha_toxic: That's why im not too optimistic about the US Pirate Party doing so good. Filesharing isn't even on the radar for political issues in this country, probably because filesharing is still legal here.

[briancurtin]

what a joke this whole thing is. pirate party, what a bunch of jokes.

[Stone123]

I realy dont like what US govenment is doing here. They just ask Swedish government to imprison people and they do it , no questions asked. What do they do with China that has most pirated material and even large organized profiting groups. Nothing.
And after watching mtv cribs , i realy dont care if p. diddy cant afford a new gold bentley.

[Pekkalainen]

what a joke this whole thing is. pirate party, what a bunch of jokes.

Is the fact that the USA has forced swedish politicians to violate the swedish constitution also a joke?

Is freedom of speech a joke?
Is freedom of the press a joke?

We in the pirate party are greatly needed to defend our citizen against these monopolies and dictatorships!

www.piratpartiet.se

[OffHand]

And after watching mtv cribs , i realy dont care if p. diddy cant afford a new gold bentley.
Right on, I couldn't have said it better myself. You hit the nail on the head.

[BWF89]

They did a study before and it showed that p2p hurts bands that are fameous and sell tons of cd's but it helps smaller, lesser known bands by exposing them. Kind of like Robin Hood. Take from the rich, give to the poor.

[dvarsam]

Dear "Kvark",

Thanks for your reply!


WTO requires that copyright must last at least life+50.
Any country that has an unacceptably short copyright protection of only life+20 as you say will not be able to become members of WTO.

I do not give a sh*t whether my country is included or not to the WTO...

Some few years ago, they would not let China enter the WTO, because they wanted to "force" China do whatever they wish, just to finally let China enter...

WTO is a "bullsh*t" organization, so that some Countries can force their laws/needs to other Countries...

The basic idea of trade should not involve such attitudes/treatments...


Many countries have life+70 to be on the safe side of WTO's requirements.

That is too bad for them too!!!


But I agree that it's ridiculous.
I'm 21, if I make a game now & live until I'm 91 then you won't be allowed to play the game without a licence from me until the year 2146...
As if I would care if some bored colonists on mars play the game in 2145.

Thank god you agree man...!!!

Somebody should do something about this!!!

---------------------------

Dear "BWF89",

Thanks for your reply!


@dvarsam: Your copyright proposal is what the original copyright was in America.
You could copyright a work for 16 years & renew it for another 16 years if you wanted.

I did not know what the original copyright law was in America...
I am no lawyer, man...
But, at least, this sounds much more logical!
At least, when I turn 62, I will be able to listen to music from my 20s-30s... for free!!!

But again:


Why was this changed?


They did a study before & it showed that p2p:
1. Hurts bands that are famous & sell tons of cd's, but
2. Helps smaller, lesser known bands by exposing them.

Seems very logical to me...


Kind of like Robin Hood.
Take from the rich, give to the poor.

The problem here is the following:

WTO, by forcing Countries to apply laws such as "life+50" or "life+70", is basically saying this:


Take from the Poor & Give to the Rich

Thanks.