Borgs8472
October 6th, 2006, 02:21 AM
What is the Pirate Party UK and what can it be?
Background (should be fairly well known to member of this forum) is that in Sweden laws cracking down on peer to peer copy write led to the formation of the pirate party in Sweden. This summer's raid on the pirate bay (http://thepiratebay.org/) galvanised their supporters, providing a suddenly very popular platform for a variety of issues, ranging from US influence in Swedish affairs (e.g. anti-copy write organisations), right to privacy of electronic communications increasingly under threat as well as the need to counter the anti-p2p propaganda comparing peer to peer users to violent criminals.
They ran hoping to get into coalition government with 4% of the popular vote, though only got 0.6%. That's still a huge achievement for a party only a year old.
Now this is happening in the UK and other countries, or it will at any rate. We need as many points of view as possible because you may not be aware but there are different ways of approaching what the pirate party stands for already, often differing from country to country at this point.
We hope to pose candidates for the coming European Elections.
Possible goals include:
* Decriminalising of P2P
* Alternative Commercial Models to Promote
* Promotion of Open Source over Commercial Software
* Forming direct links with Artists for free distribution of content
* Getting free access to all BBC content at least to UK citizens if not everyone
* Discussing possibilities for acceptable levels of digital rights managements as opposed to intrusive and ineffective ones
* Much more
The Pirate Party UK (http://pirateparty.org.uk/) has a forum and website shell, however we desperately need to crank up the pace, which has slacked in recent weeks a the balding one's been on holiday as one reason.
We're in real need to regular founding members who are prepared to contribute to the site and its discussions on a regular basis. You don't have to live in the UK to contribute, especially if you feel you can help in spite of this, but bear in mind other national parties have sprung up and others may be more suitable for your country.
See the list of sites at pirate party international (http://www.pp-international.net/forum/index.php). You do not have to have much knowledge of politics or be over the age of 18 but both would be beneficial.
Please link to us at other P2P especially UK based sites you frequent, but currently with the disclaimer that the site's only in it's beginning stages and promotion and regualar users contributors and mostly needed. Also stress this is a UK-based site until such a point as the site promotes itself more naturally.
=== This is not a DRM sucks site (though DRM does) ===
=== This is not a P2P is already legal so nothing needs to be done site (because something does need to be done) ===
=== This is not a "P2P has many legitimate uses so therefore it should not be assumed people are downloading copy write material with them" site ===
This is a site for Pirates. People who download media and software without paying, because it's easy, better than commercial alternatives and should be legalised, not demonised.
The site does not condone commercial pirates who sell media/software and take business from legitimate distributors and genuinely sell inferior products.
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/
Background (should be fairly well known to member of this forum) is that in Sweden laws cracking down on peer to peer copy write led to the formation of the pirate party in Sweden. This summer's raid on the pirate bay (http://thepiratebay.org/) galvanised their supporters, providing a suddenly very popular platform for a variety of issues, ranging from US influence in Swedish affairs (e.g. anti-copy write organisations), right to privacy of electronic communications increasingly under threat as well as the need to counter the anti-p2p propaganda comparing peer to peer users to violent criminals.
They ran hoping to get into coalition government with 4% of the popular vote, though only got 0.6%. That's still a huge achievement for a party only a year old.
Now this is happening in the UK and other countries, or it will at any rate. We need as many points of view as possible because you may not be aware but there are different ways of approaching what the pirate party stands for already, often differing from country to country at this point.
We hope to pose candidates for the coming European Elections.
Possible goals include:
* Decriminalising of P2P
* Alternative Commercial Models to Promote
* Promotion of Open Source over Commercial Software
* Forming direct links with Artists for free distribution of content
* Getting free access to all BBC content at least to UK citizens if not everyone
* Discussing possibilities for acceptable levels of digital rights managements as opposed to intrusive and ineffective ones
* Much more
The Pirate Party UK (http://pirateparty.org.uk/) has a forum and website shell, however we desperately need to crank up the pace, which has slacked in recent weeks a the balding one's been on holiday as one reason.
We're in real need to regular founding members who are prepared to contribute to the site and its discussions on a regular basis. You don't have to live in the UK to contribute, especially if you feel you can help in spite of this, but bear in mind other national parties have sprung up and others may be more suitable for your country.
See the list of sites at pirate party international (http://www.pp-international.net/forum/index.php). You do not have to have much knowledge of politics or be over the age of 18 but both would be beneficial.
Please link to us at other P2P especially UK based sites you frequent, but currently with the disclaimer that the site's only in it's beginning stages and promotion and regualar users contributors and mostly needed. Also stress this is a UK-based site until such a point as the site promotes itself more naturally.
=== This is not a DRM sucks site (though DRM does) ===
=== This is not a P2P is already legal so nothing needs to be done site (because something does need to be done) ===
=== This is not a "P2P has many legitimate uses so therefore it should not be assumed people are downloading copy write material with them" site ===
This is a site for Pirates. People who download media and software without paying, because it's easy, better than commercial alternatives and should be legalised, not demonised.
The site does not condone commercial pirates who sell media/software and take business from legitimate distributors and genuinely sell inferior products.
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/