The Rise of an American Pirate Party?

What’s the Latest Development?

The Massachusetts Pirate Party recently held the first state-level Pirate conference in the US, discussing its intent to protect the rights of citizens to share copyrighted material over the Internet. Borrowing from Sweden’s Pirate Party, which holds seats in the national parliament and has established Kopimism as an official religion, the Massachusetts group considers sharing a sacred act. One member of the party, Lauren Pespisa, said in biblical fashion, “Copy and Paste what thous wilt’ shall be the whole of the law.” The party is currently gathering signature to get on the ballot for state representatives. 

What’s the Big Idea?

The first Pirate Party was founded in Sweden in 2006 as a response to police action that raided and attempted to shut down the outspoken torrent website the Pirate Bay. In Europe, the movement is spreading: “Just a couple weeks ago, the Pirate Party won seats in the German state of Saarland. … An international conference of Pirate Parties will take place in the Czech Republic in mid-April.” While policy issues concerning the Internet have been raised at state and national levels, e.g. SOPA, they have yet to define our politics. Can an American Pirate Party change that? 

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