Pirate parties challenge US digital dominance

A cyberspace freedom party set up in Sweden now holds 15 seats in the German parliament and is active in about 50 countries. It believes the US is stifling creativity.

Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Sweden's Pirate Party, wants to legalise file sharing to faciliate sharing of culture and knowledge. Olivier Morin / AFP

Political changes in Europe now represent a major threat to US dominance of the digital entertainment industry.

After some arduous early years in its native Sweden, the digital freedom organisation, the Pirate Party, is starting to win political power in other countries. It now holds 15 seats in the German parliament and is also active elsewhere, including the Middle East.

The party's aim is to fight for individual freedom, particularly in cyberspace. Attempts by the US music and film industries to stop people downloading copyrighted content for free from the internet have provoked a reaction from other countries, particularly from those in northern Europe. The Pirate Party is the spearhead of a looming digital trade battle between the US and the rest of the world.

"We aim to change global legislation to facilitate the emerging information society. Our primary goal is to legalise and facilitate the sharing of culture and knowledge, i.e. legalise file sharing. We also seek to safeguard the ability to observe, report and share in other ways," says Rick Falkvinge, the Pirate Party's founder.

Legalising file sharing would enable private individuals to exchange digital copies of digital files of their favourite music, also allowing internet surfers to visit "pirate" websites to download the latest Hollywood blockbuster or a new computer game for free.

The videogames industry, which has overtaken Hollywood in revenues, alone is worth an estimated US$60 billion (Dh220bn) a year, according to the analyst company Robert W Baird. Music, publishing, film, TV and computer software companies all rely on selling digital versions of their products. When the value of all digital content is taken into account, the US stands to lose hundreds of billions of dollars a year should the Pirate Party triumph.

But the party believes the US's near monopoly on the global entertainment industry is stifling creativity in areas such as the Middle East's film industry. Hollywood studios spend hundreds of millions of dollars on producing and marketing the latest blockbuster movies, leaving local film makers short of funding.

"Today's copyright and patent monopolies are primarily constructed to benefit the US, through the World Trade Organization and Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights treaties. Honestly, I can't see why the rest of the world doesn't see it for the trade war it is," says Mr Falkvinge.

According to the Pirate Party, far more is at stake than simply handing over multibillion industries to the Americans. The laws used in the US to punish file sharing are already draconian. In some states the penalty exceeds that of manslaughter. And the US is determined to impose its digital copyright laws with equal force outside North America.

"The danger lies in today's power holders getting to create a society full of censorship and wiretapping in order to enforce ridiculous levels of the copyright monopoly. If that happens, we will have a Big Brother state of dystopic proportions, which is the opposite of the openness and transparency that the Pirate parties strive for," says Mr Falkvinge.

Until now, the Pirate Party has been seen as largely toothless outside its native Sweden. But its 15 seats in the German parliament together with growing political representation globally, are already enabling the party to push through legislation aimed at disarming international copyright laws.

"Those 15 seats make sure that all parties move their policy heavily in the direction of the Pirate Party's policies," says Mr Falkvinge.

"The voting rights in parliament are a bonus, but don't make the primary difference. A Pirate Party succeeding in Germany - or Sweden - will influence parties in neighbouring countries, even if the Pirate Party there isn't as successful. In their minds, the other parties will add the word 'yet'."

The Pirate Party is already active in about 50 countries as it intends to spread its policies everywhere where the internet is present. The party is officially recognised by the respective election authority in 18 countries. It is particularly strong in Europe and Latin America. However, its presence in the Middle East is largely limited to activists discussing the ideas, although there has been some political activity in North Africa.

"Most interestingly in a UAE context, a Pirate, Slim Amamou, has been part of the cabinet in Tunisia … following the revolution there," says Mr Falkvinge. But he adds: "He left the position as the transitional government instituted censorship at request of the army, which is antithetical to Pirate Party ideals of openness."

The party's policies may be shrouded in idealistic phrases such as "ideals of openness" and "the ability to observe, report and share in other ways". But at its core is a desire not only for a level playing field for entertainment industries outside the US in regions such as the UAE, but also to ensure freedom of access to all the world's cultural assets for everyone.