Press release archive for September 2011

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Loz Kaye - Pirate Party UK Leader:

On Tuesday I met with the Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey, along with interested groups including ORG, Coadec, LINX, a representative of the ISPs, and the Tax Payers Alliance. The meeting was intended to address the outcry over secret meetings between Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the big media industry players, and to put forward a different view to the lobbyists from the publishing groups, who have dominated the Internet policy agenda for far too long.

The broad spectrum of groups represented at the meeting shows that concern and opposition to Government positions in this area is serious and widespread. A wide range of topics were covered, including campaigner James Firth very clearly setting out the possible "chilling effect" on public Internet access of the Digital Economy Act.

Tim Dobson- Pirate Party UK Education Spokesperson:

On Sunday I was in Germany watching the Pirate Party movement making history again. The Pirate Party entered the Berlin State Parliament, gaining 14 seats after polling almost 9% of the vote. At the same time the liberal FDP, a junior partner in the ruling coalition, crashed out, with only 1.9%. Pirate Party UK is inspired by the hard work of all the activists that made this result possible and sends its warmest congratulations.

Pirate Party Germany's success shows our movement's ideas have a broad appeal and platform. Despite smears from a clearly rattled opposition during the election campaign, the Berlin Pirates showed they have a lot to offer on education, business, representative democracy and social policy. Equally, the people of Berlin have realised that it is about time that their politicians understand the Internet better.

In a move heavily lobbied for by the music industry, the EU Council has voted, without debate, to extend copyright monopolies on sound recordings from 50 to 70 years. Despite opposition from many countries, and the European Parliament, governments across the EU have once again shown how out of touch they are with the public mood.

While EU politicians may do what the IFPI wants, the public they are supposed to represent grow increasingly sceptical of perpetually extended copyright. Lobbyists may be able to buy the laws they want, but growth of the Pirate Party movement shows that the public will not put up with corruption forever."