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2013-05-16 13:02:00 (25 comments, 20 reshares, 42 +1s)

Breaking: Prosecutor claims that the root domain registry is criminally liable for copyright monopoly infringements that happen on The Pirate Bay.

Prosecutors in Sweden have sued the root domain registry of .SE domains to kill the domain name of The Pirate Bay. The root registry fights back heavily. This case is important to watch, as it can have thoroughly chilling results for the Internet's domain name system if criminal secondary liability is established at the DNS level.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/05/16/prosecutor-hints-that-root-domain-registry-is-criminally-liable-for-copyright-monopoly-infringements-on-the-pirate-bay/

2013-05-13 14:50:14 (5 comments, 14 reshares, 35 +1s)

Breaking: Swedish National Prosecutor says culture-sharing must be punished harshly by the courts, because "it funds terrorism".

In a remarkably ignorant statement, the Swedish National Prosecutor has appealed a culture-sharing sentence to the Supreme Court with the motivation that sharing culture and knowledge "funds terrorism". This follows a verdict from the Appeals Court that would have put an end to the witch-hunt of people sharing culture in Sweden, as it had handed out a sentence that was effectively too low to justify further persecution. In appealing to the Supreme Court, Kerstin Skarp of the Swedish National Prosecutor's Office has shown every conceivable bit of ivory-tower ignorance.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/05/13/swedish-national-prosecutor-says-culture-sharing-must-be-punished-harshly-because-it-funds-terrorism/

2013-05-12 20:49:15 (21 comments, 22 reshares, 49 +1s)

Jail terms for unlocking cellphones show the true black heart of the copyright monopoly. New column on TorrentFreak.

The discussion around people’s banished right to unlock their own cellphones has been framed as an unexpected and unanticipated effect of the copyright monopoly. To the contrary, it shows the heart of the monopoly’s philosophy: killing ownership as a concept.

https://torrentfreak.com/jail-terms-for-unlocking-cellphones-130512/

2013-05-10 11:55:28 (12 comments, 15 reshares, 31 +1s)

United States government shows the world it doesn't understand the Internet, claims "ownership" of specific files. New article.

The United States Department of Defense has “claimed ownership” of CAD drawings of a plastic, printable pistol. In doing so, they apparently believe they can stop the files from existing. The result is obviously the complete opposite, which calls into strong question the judgment and ability of United States government to set Internet policy at all.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/05/10/united-states-shows-the-world-it-doesnt-understand-the-internet-claims-ownership-of-specific-files/

2013-05-01 06:45:52 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

New chapter of the upcoming book Swarmwise - The Tactical Manual To Changing The World.

Chapter Four: You do the Vision, The Swarm does the Talking.

People’s friends are better marketers toward those people than you, for the simple reason that they are those people’s friends, and you are not.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/05/01/swarmwise-the-tactical-manual-to-changing-the-world-chapter-four/

2013-04-27 22:55:09 (16 comments, 34 reshares, 81 +1s)

Breaking: Icelandic Pirate Party WINS, Enters Parliament.

The Icelandic Pirate Party has entered Parliament. This is clear as about one-tenth of the votes have been counted, with the Pirate Party projected at 6.3% as final result, well above the five-percent barrier to entry.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/04/28/icelandic-pirate-party-wins-enters-parliament/

2013-04-22 18:57:21 (8 comments, 18 reshares, 36 +1s)

Corrupt banks, corrupt copyright industry: Why do they get to externalize business problems? New article.

We are in a trend where politicians believe that some business failures are everybody’s problem, but when the same businesses succeed, they get to keep all the profits. This is a ridiculous and counterproductive way to build a functioning economy, and it also threatens fundamental civil liberties. The banking industry and the copyright industry stand out as the most parasitic malcreants in this area.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/04/22/corrupt-banks-corrupt-copyright-industry-why-do-they-get-to-externalize-business-problems/

2013-04-15 13:45:46 (15 comments, 37 reshares, 32 +1s)

Creators of public-domain bible threatened with lawsuit by other bible's copyright monopoly holders. New article.

Religion is big business. The Christian Bible, like any other book, is under copyright monopoly - or, to be precise, any translation of it younger than 100 years or so is under copyright monopoly, and people quoting extensively from the Christian Bible brings in big licensing money to the copyright monopoly holders. Activists decided this was not in tune with the religion and decided to create a free alternative, only to be met with a threat of lawsuit.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/04/15/creators-of-public-domain-bible-threatened-with-lawsuit-by-other-bibles-copyright-monopoly-holders/

2013-04-14 21:03:45 (5 comments, 15 reshares, 33 +1s)

The copyright monopoly was always intended to prevent freedom of expression. New column on TorrentFreak.

As I was explaining the need for copyright monopoly reform in Dublin this week, an elderly gentleman red-faced with rage exclaimed in the Q&A session that the copyright monopoly was absolutely crucial for freedom of expression. It surprises me that some monopolists still have things this backwards: the monopoly was always a gag on freedoms of speech and expression.

http://torrentfreak.com/the-copyright-monopoly-was-always-intended-to-prevent-freedom-of-expression-130414/

2013-04-08 15:36:21 (6 comments, 12 reshares, 31 +1s)

Breaking: President of the European Parliament defends treating emails from constituents on current affairs as spam.

http://christianengstrom.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/president-of-the-european-parliament-defends-treating-emails-from-citizens-as-spam/

2013-04-05 13:59:09 (2 comments, 10 reshares, 25 +1s)

Icelandic Píratar on final approach to election victory. New article.

A new poll today places the Icelandic Pirate Party in parliament, with their election three weeks out. This follows a continuous and rapid ascent for the Icelandic Pirate Party. The poll will probably have the additional effect of putting the media spotlights on the party, further accelerating its growth.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/04/05/icelandic-piratar-on-final-approach-to-election-victory/

2013-04-03 20:05:52 (60 comments, 41 reshares, 82 +1s)

Why Bitcoin is poised to change society much more than the Internet did. New article.

There is a bitcoin craze at the moment, with prices of bitcoin skyrocketing. Bitcoin is still far from ready for prime time, but as it matures, it will change society’s fundamental operations much more than the Internet did. The net, after all, only allowed people to talk and shop more efficiently. By comparison, bitcoin eradicates the government’s ability to operate.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/04/03/why-bitcoin-is-poised-to-change-society-much-more-than-the-internet-did/

2013-04-01 11:43:11 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 6 +1s)

Swarmwise - the tactical manual to changing the world. Chapter three: Getting your swarm organized; herding cats.

While the effective swarm consists almost entirely of loosely-knit activists, there is a core of people – a scaffolding for the swarm – that requires a more formal organization. It is important to construct this scaffolding carefully, paying attention to known facts about how people work in social groups. Without it, the swarm has no focal point around which it can… well, swarm.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/04/01/swarmwise-the-tactical-manual-to-changing-the-world-chapter-three/

2013-04-01 10:27:29 (0 comments, 10 reshares, 21 +1s)

Like 500 years ago, geeks are becoming the last line of defense for free speech. Column on Russia Today.

Businesses are attacking liberties that challenge their interests, and normally powerless people are defending freedom of speech. This is a world upside down, the direct opposite of how it should be - and yet, entirely predictable when we look at history.

http://rt.com/op-edge/businesses-attack-freedom-speech-spamhaus-133/

2013-03-31 19:48:38 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 17 +1s)

Why it's important for each of us to explain, and KEEP explaining, the net and its civil liberties. New column on TorrentFreak.

We’re all used to changing society over a weekend of coding. But changing the values of society takes much, much longer than that, and it requires all of us to keep patiently explaining what we understand to those who don’t. Here’s a primer on how.

http://torrentfreak.com/why-its-important-for-each-of-us-to-explain-and-keep-explaining-the-net-and-its-civil-liberties-130331/

2013-03-29 20:03:20 (9 comments, 15 reshares, 26 +1s)

Death of the small Eurobusiness, in a bank screenshot. New article.

With banks opening on Cyprus, many entrepreneurs realized they had been wrecked overnight by their government's dishonesty. The so-called bank bailout was in reality a death sentence for many small businesses, who saw their operating capital confiscated to save the government's face. This move will create an inevitable uncertainty throughout the Eurozone: who will dare put their operating capital in a bank in a troubled country, when politicians keep saying everything is fine - until one day, the money is just gone?

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/29/death-of-the-small-eurobusiness-in-a-bank-screenshot/

2013-03-28 09:24:18 (6 comments, 18 reshares, 40 +1s)

Why Expensify endorsing bitcoin is a really big deal: Social virality. New article.

Yesterday, news broke that the Expensify service has enabled bitcoin payments. With the rapidly expanding number of businesses accepting bitcoin as payment method, one could think that this was merely another player in the pool of bitcoin’s expanding economy (which just broke the one-billion-USD barrier, by the way). But Expensify is something much more than that.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/28/why-expensify-endorsing-bitcoin-is-a-really-big-deal-social-virality/

2013-03-27 16:16:50 (3 comments, 10 reshares, 32 +1s)

Two more Pirate Parties are on the cusp of electoral success: Iceland and Croatia. New article.

Two more Pirate Parties are approaching electoral victory scenarios. Iceland’s Píratar is polling just below the parliamentary threshold for their elections one month out, and Croatia’s Piratska Stranka is polling at levels that may give it a seat in the European Parliament in three weeks. This is a very positive sign for the movement, as it is much harder for new countries to enter the political fray than it is to defend existing positions.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/27/two-more-pirate-parties-on-cusp-of-electoral-success-iceland-croatia/

2013-03-23 07:36:52 (5 comments, 17 reshares, 35 +1s)

The Pirate Bay is a trailblazer not in user interface, but in technical resilience. New article.

The Pirate Bay is a site that has remained online for ten years come this summer, despite attempts from almost every Ancient-Power-That-Be to shut it down. It has often been said that The Pirate Bay hasn’t evolved much at all in the past five years; I disagree, it has adapted and overcome everything thrown in its path. There may soon come a time when we need to learn from its experiences in resilience just to safeguard freedom of speech.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/23/the-pirate-bay-is-a-trailblazer-in-technical-resilience/

2013-03-20 19:24:51 (10 comments, 8 reshares, 15 +1s)

After Cyprus, New tolls for the Euro [image of church bells]. New article.

After the attempted tolls on bank savings in Cyprus for saving the Euro, a new kind of tolls can be heard in the distance for the currency. The fundamental trust in the currency as a store of value has been broken, according to multiple signs across Europe. Even with the Cypriot parliament backpedaling frantically, the situation appears snowballing - there could be a bank run in two weeks.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/20/after-cyprus-new-tolls-for-the-euro/

2013-03-17 22:15:56 (0 comments, 9 reshares, 25 +1s)

Who protects Freedom of Speech when it isn't profitable to do so? New column on TorrentFreak.

Over the past years, we have seen an all-out assault on the messenger immunity, forcing liability onto commercial distribution services for merely carrying a message. The net effect of this is a drastic and catastrophic abolition of the freedoms of speech on the Internet.

http://torrentfreak.com/who-protects-freedom-of-speech-when-it-isnt-profitable-to-do-so-130317/

2013-03-15 13:57:35 (1 comments, 4 reshares, 17 +1s)

It appears that the jury has returned, and that the European Parliament mostly voted no to a ban on porn. While there are clear calls for enforcing such a ban if the report is read literally, the political meaning appears to be the direct opposite.

Yes, this can be quite confusing even for those of us who work with it on a daily basis.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/15/the-european-parliament-mostly-said-no-to-a-porn-ban/

2013-03-12 14:00:54 (9 comments, 20 reshares, 36 +1s)

Breaking: European Parliament just voted to ban porn, but refrains from extending the scope to the Internet following protests, and then decides to hide which representative voted for the ban.

The European Parliament has just voted in favor of the much-discussed blanket ban on all forms of pornography. But first, it decided to strike out the much-discussed extension of “media” into the internet, effectively limiting the ban to advertising and some undefined print media. It also struck out the original criminalization of any dissent against the report and the turning of ISPs into thought police. However, Parliament’s decision to filter out its constituents’ protests on the matter and decision to hide how the representatives voted on the report is a loud and clear warning signal.

If the behavior of the European Parliament on this report is an indicator of the health of theinstitu... more »

2013-03-08 17:43:36 (19 comments, 22 reshares, 32 +1s)

Breaking: European Parliament blocks all mails containing the phrase "gender stereotype" on International Women's Day. You couldn't make it up.

In an attempt to isolate themselves from voters who were outraged about the looming ban on porn and sexual communication online (between consenting adults), the European Parliament's IT department resorted to spamflagging all protests. Specifically, they were silently dropping every mail that contained the words "gender stereotypes", with was part of the report's name - dropping every communication about this subject on International Women's Day.

Really, you couldn't make it up.

(Verified by technical tests with/without these specific words.)
... more »

2013-03-07 20:37:21 (2 comments, 11 reshares, 31 +1s)

Porn ban update: European Parliament responds to legitimate objections by spamfiltering constituents, and then deleting explanation of ban of online porn but keeping its effect.

The European Parliament has responded to protests against a ban on pornography by spamfiltering its consistuents’ protests, then deleting the explanation of what the bill does from the bill. While this can be typical behavior from the European Parliament (as we saw in the ACTA battle), that doesn’t make it any more excusable. This is, quite frankly, not something that politicians deserve to get away with.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/07/porn-ban-update-europarl-responds-by-spamfiltering-constituents-then-deletes-explanation-of-porn-ban-but-keeps-effect/

2013-03-06 20:39:21 (18 comments, 27 reshares, 28 +1s)

CALL TO ACTION: Next week, the European Parliament will vote to ban all porn, including text messages that you send to your significant other. Yes, really. Immediate action is required.

Next Tuesday, the European Parliament will vote yes to a report calling for a legislative ban on all pornography in any kind of media. This is definitely vague enough to include the net, and could even include photos you take of yourself and send to friends. This horrendous attack on our fundamental freedoms of expression needs action now.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/06/next-tuesday-the-european-parliament-votes-to-ban-all-your-porn-yes-really-take-immediate-action/

2013-03-06 02:01:16 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 20 +1s)

New piece: The target value for bitcoin is not some $50 or $100. It is $100,000 to $1,000,000.

Bitcoin’s value is at an all-time high again. Following the hype peak and crash in 2011, many seemed to have thought it was just another dotcom fluke. But bitcoin was much more than that, and it has returned with a vengeance – its market cap is now twice what it was in the 2011 peak, and it is nowhere near its potential, which is four orders of magnitude above today’s value.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/06/the-target-value-for-bitcoin-is-not-some-50-or-100-it-is-100000-to-1000000/

2013-03-05 10:17:12 (16 comments, 7 reshares, 12 +1s)

New piece: Evidence that The Pirate Bay's move to North Korea was a hoax, in understandable terms.

Yesterday's big story was definitely about The Pirate Bay having moved to North Korea. If you asked the Internet's infrastructure, the net itself would tell you about the move, and The Pirate Bay issued a press release confirming the story. But reports surfaced that it could have been an elaborate hoax, and closer inspection proves that.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/05/evidence-the-pirate-bay-move-to-north-korea-was-a-prank-in-understandable-terms/

2013-03-04 17:06:39 (133 comments, 220 reshares, 501 +1s)

Breaking: After being cut from Norway, The Pirate Bay returns from North Korea.

The Pirate Bay is back online. Its new provider turned out to be none less than one in North Korea. This has all sorts of interesting geopolitical consequences.

The world’s most resilient site for safeguarding freedom of expression, going against the political interests of the United States, is now run from North Korea. Imagine that.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/04/after-being-cut-from-norway-the-pirate-bay-returns-from-north-korea/

2013-03-04 16:23:46 (24 comments, 9 reshares, 13 +1s)

Breaking: The Pirate Bay offline - Norway's Pirate Party cuts rope following threats.

The Pirate Bay is currently offline. The Norwegian Pirate Party has sent a press release saying that threats from the copyright industry has closed The Pirate Bay’s internet access in Norway. In a comment, party leader Geir Aaslid says it’s regrettable that the Pirate Party doesn’t have the economic muscle necessary to fight for freedom of expression on their own.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/04/the-pirate-bay-offline-norways-pirate-party-cuts-rope-following-threats/

2013-03-01 11:45:18 (2 comments, 7 reshares, 13 +1s)

Swarmwise - the tactical manual to changing the world. Chapter two: Launching the Swarm.

Launching a swarm is an intense event, where you can get hundreds or thousands of new colleagues in less than a day. You have a very short window for appreciating their interest, or they will take it elsewhere.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/03/01/swarmwise-the-tactical-manual-to-changing-the-world-chapter-two/

2013-02-27 01:02:02 (1 comments, 10 reshares, 21 +1s)

2013-02-26 08:20:57 (2 comments, 17 reshares, 37 +1s)

Breaking: "The Hydra Bay" - The Pirate Bay moves to Norwegian and Catalan Pirate Parties.

Late Monday night, two new Pirate Parties – those in Catalunya and Norway - started delivering bandwidth to The Pirate Bay. This follows the extortionate threats placed last week against the Swedish Pirate Party by the Rightousness Alliance (formerly the “Anti-Pirate Bureau”) and multiple actions in solidarity with that situation. Being able to stand up against a menacing gale as an international movement is a sign of maturity in the face of dying-but-ruthless adversaries.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/26/the-hydra-bay-the-pirate-bay-moves-to-norwegian-catalan-pirate-parties/

2013-02-20 14:10:40 (6 comments, 8 reshares, 25 +1s)

Verdict in Human Rights Court would mean that wholesale censorship of The Pirate Bay is illegal. New piece.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has decided that a wholesale censorship of Google Sites in Turkey violates the European Convention of Human Rights, and orders Turkey to cease the censorship and pay damages. The court concludes that any wholesale web censorship is an interference with fundamental human rights, and therefore must be prescribed by law. This has direct consequences for other, similar wholesale censorship – such as that of The Pirate Bay.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/20/verdict-in-human-rights-court-would-mean-wholesale-censorship-of-the-pirate-bay-is-illegal/

2013-02-19 19:30:24 (6 comments, 30 reshares, 53 +1s)

Breaking: Copyright industry lobby threatens Swedish Pirate Party with criminal charges over providing bandwidth to The Pirate Bay.

This morning, Sweden’s copyright industry lobby sent a nastygram to the official address of the Swedish Pirate Party, threatening criminal charges over providing bandwidth to The Pirate Bay. The Swedish Pirate Party has been the Internet Service Provider to The Pirate Bay since spring 2010, as recently highlighted by the film TPB AFK. Internet Service Providers, unless hosting something themselves, enjoy common carrier status or messenger immunity – i.e., they are never responsible for what is communicated in their pipes.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/19/copyright-industry-lobby-threatens-swedish-pirate-party-with-criminal-charges-over-providing-bandwidth-to-the-pirate-bay/

2013-02-17 21:34:43 (7 comments, 8 reshares, 26 +1s)

Motivating yourself every day to fight the copyright monopoly. New column.

When working for reform or abolition of the copyright or patent monopolies, things can sometimes feel a bit uphill, even though the eventual abolition of these protectionist monopolies seems inevitable. To get energy for activism each day, it helps to understand the Overton Window.

http://torrentfreak.com/motivating-yourself-every-day-to-fight-the-copyright-monopoly-130217/

2013-02-14 13:46:32 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

Swarmwise, the tactical manual to changing the world. Chapter One.

Somewhere today, a loose-knit group of activists who are having fun is dropkicking a rich, established organization so hard they are making heads spin. Rich and resourceful organizations are used to living by the golden rule – “those with the gold make the rules”. New ways of organizing go beyond just breaking the old rules into downright shredding them – leaving executives in the dust, wondering how that band of poor, rag-tag, disorganized activists could possibly have beaten their rich, well-structured organization.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/14/swarmwise-the-tactical-manual-to-changing-the-world-chapter-one/

2013-02-13 14:08:47 (9 comments, 21 reshares, 22 +1s)

Five basic misconceptions debunked about the copyright monopoly and sharing of culture. New article.

Five trivially erroneous assertions have kept appearing in the public debate since 1990 about file-sharing vs. the copyright monopoly. These assertions have persisted for 25 years, despite being obviously false. This is a reference article to link to and point at whenever one of them pops up the next time.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/13/five-basic-misconceptions-about-the-copyright-monopoly-and-sharing-of-culture/

2013-02-09 17:34:04 (86 comments, 60 reshares, 163 +1s)

Mjaha. Här är ett urval av vad poliser på Rikspolisstyrelsen har tankat från jobbdatorn på sistone. Mest TV-serier, men en del filmer och något spel. Bra. Copy and seed!

(English: This is a selection of what the Swedish Criminal Police have file-shared from their workplaces.)

2013-02-09 09:54:56 (11 comments, 4 reshares, 15 +1s)

You're still more likely to get HIT BY LIGHTNING than convicted from sharing culture. New article.

In 2012, more than twice as many Swedes were hit by lightning as were indicted for sharing culture. This stands in stark contrast with the scare campaigns from the copyright industry. When confronted with facts, the copyright monopoly lobby’s fear campaigns to stop people from sharing freely come across as outlandish at best.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/09/youre-still-more-likely-to-get-hit-by-lightning-than-convicted-from-sharing-culture/

2013-02-07 11:00:34 (34 comments, 84 reshares, 111 +1s)

European Court of Human Rights: Convictions for file-sharing stand at odds with basic human rights and the freedom of expression.

The European Court of Human Rights has declared that the copyright monopoly stands in direct conflict with fundamental Human Rights, as defined in the European Union and elsewhere. This means that as of today, nobody sharing culture in the EU may be convicted just for breaking the copyright monopoly law in file-sharing cases; the bar for convicting was raised considerably. This can be expected to have far-reaching implications, not just judicially, but in confirming that the copyright monopoly stands at odds with human rights.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/02/07/court-of-human-rights-convictions-for-file-sharing-violate-human-rights/ 

2013-02-03 21:30:20 (67 comments, 12 reshares, 23 +1s)

Why do copyright monopolists think they can just take somebody else's work? New column on TorrentFreak.

Copyright monopolists insist on the idea of controlling the fruits of other people’s labor, such as when other people copy a particular file. This attitude is offensive, insulting, and antithetical to a free market.

http://torrentfreak.com/why-do-copyright-monopolists-think-they-can-just-take-somebody-elses-work-130203/

2013-01-31 10:15:34 (19 comments, 5 reshares, 15 +1s)

Routine dismissive agreements to Terms of Service are a real problem. New article.

The habit for companies to write terms of service to a length and complexity nobody can understand, coupled with the subsequent habit of everybody of agreeing to them without reading them, has become a real problem. It undermines the concept of contracts as such, and it enables corporations to undermine citizens’ rights without democratic oversight. Maybe regulation is needed.

In a poll whether people usually read the Terms of Service for a website or software before clicking “I agree”, 76% responded “No”. The rest clicked on “I agree”. Yes, really – this actually happened.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/01/31/routine-dismissive-agreements-to-terms-of-service-are-a-real-problem-poll-inside/

2013-01-29 09:59:03 (0 comments, 8 reshares, 16 +1s)

TPB AFK: How The Pirate Bay is legally shielded by The Pirate Party. New piece.

A new teaser trailer for the upcoming movie TPB AFK – The Pirate Bay, Away From Keyboard – was just released. In the teaser, Peter “Brokep” Sunde describes the cat-and-mouse game between the legal side and technical side, and the rationale for using the Pirate Party as ISP. From our side in the Pirate Party, this was a very interesting and politically provocative (i.e. good) move.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/01/29/tpb-afk-how-the-pirate-bay-is-legally-shielded-by-the-pirate-party/

2013-01-29 07:09:03 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

Cameron's speech opens a window of opportunity to reform the European Union. Guest piece by Christian Engström, MEP:

As a member of the European Parliament for the Swedish Pirate Party, I was very happy to hear British prime minister David Cameron announce that Britain will have a referendum on its EU membership, probably some time around 2017. This is excellent news.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/01/29/camerons-speech-opens-a-window-of-opportunity-to-reform-the-eu/

2013-01-28 16:25:11 (4 comments, 5 reshares, 19 +1s)

When pirate comradeship beats old political grudges: how 30 years of political propaganda was pulverized in a split second. New guest piece by Juan Manuel Santos.

On December 18th, 2012, the UK’s Pirate Party proxy to The Pirate Bay was shut down. In resonance with the Internet’s spirit, two more, belonging to Pirate Parties, sprang up: one from Luxembourg and one from Argentina. With that last one, I saw thirty years of government propaganda be pulverized in a split second.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/01/28/when-pirate-comradeship-beats-old-grudges/

2013-01-26 15:07:51 (10 comments, 36 reshares, 34 +1s)

Freedom of Speech is primarily the right for stupid people to say dumb things, and that's a GOOD AND VITAL right. New article.

Yesterday, a French court decided that people on Twitter have no right to anonymity when posting xenophobic comments. This is deeply troubling: the court says that unpopular opinions don’t have the same freedom of speech as popular ones. Further, and more troubling still, this is a pan-European trend.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/01/26/freedom-of-speech-is-primarily-the-right-for-stupid-people-to-say-dumb-things/

2013-01-24 15:06:34 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 20 +1s)

An open letter to pirated artists, by Lionel Dricot. New guest article.

In an open letter to artists, Lionel Dricot explains his own thinking as a creator of art and writings. Mr. Dricot outlines why people in general are not prepared to pay if the money goes to middlemen, but are generally prepared to support the artists directly. The enemy is not pirates, Mr. Dricot explains – the enemy are the parasitic middlemen who have been taking 95% of the cut and are fighting to lock everybody else out.

http://falkvinge.net/2013/01/24/an-open-letter-to-pirated-artists/

2013-01-23 22:32:59 (14 comments, 8 reshares, 31 +1s)

I'm thinking of starting to use "Intellectual Protectionism" as a drop-in replacement readout for that other term. When monopoly pundits angrily respond "you have to take this seriously, it's about safeguarding jobs!", as they probably would, I can smash the ball home and say "yes, exactly".

Protectionism is a negatively-tainted word, but that's what it is, not property (which is a positive word).

2013-01-23 20:40:50 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

If anybody here is going to Black Hat Europe this year, I'm happy to be giving the keynote there - it was just announced.

I'll be looking at power shifts through history as a result of shifting information advantages, and look at where we are in the cycles of power shifts.

All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.

http://www.blackhat.com/eu-13/briefings.html#Keynote