Pirate Party is a label adopted by various

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

worldwide that share a set of values and policies focused on

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

in the digital age. The fundamental principles of Pirate Parties include freedom of information,

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

digital rights Digital rights are those human rights and Natural and legal rights, legal rights that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other Consumer electronics, electronic devices, and teleco ...

and

internet freedom Internet censorship is the legal censorship, control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet. Censorship is most often applied to specific Network domain, internet domains (such as ''Wikipedia.org'', for exam ...

. The first Pirate Party, initially named "

Piratpartiet Outside Sweden, pirate parties have been started in over 60 countries, inspired by the Swedish initiative. National pirate parties Super-national pirate parties Sub-national and regional pirate parties Youth wings References

{{Reflist ...

", was founded in Sweden in 2006 by Rick Falkvinge, and the movement has since expanded to over 60 countries.

Ideology

Central to their vision is the defense of free access to and sharing of knowledge, and opposition to intellectual monopolies. This position fits theoretically into the "

knowledge commons The term "knowledge commons" refers to information, data, and content that is collectively owned and managed by a community of users, particularly over the Internet. What distinguishes a knowledge commons from a commons of shared physical resources ...

" framework, developed from

Elinor Ostrom Elinor Claire "Lin" Ostrom (née Awan; August 7, 1933 – June 12, 2012) was an American Political science, political scientist and Political economy, political economist whose work was associated with New institutional economics, New Institution ...

's studies on the governance of the

commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

and later applied to the digital domain by scholars such as

Yochai Benkler Yochai Benkler ( ; born 1964) is an Israeli-American author and the Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School. He is also a faculty co-director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Univers ...

and

Lawrence Lessig Lester Lawrence "Larry" Lessig III (born June 3, 1961) is an American legal scholar and political activist. He is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvar ...

. They therefore advocate for

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

and patent laws reform, aiming to make them more flexible and fairer, foster

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...

and balance creators' rights with public access to knowledge. Specifically, they support shorter copyright terms and promote

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

scientific literature Scientific literature encompasses a vast body of academic papers that spans various disciplines within the natural and social sciences. It primarily consists of academic papers that present original empirical research and theoretical ...

and

educational resources Instructional materials, also known as teaching materials, learning materials, or teaching/learning materials (TLM), are any collection of materials including animate and inanimate objects and human and non-human resources that a teacher may use ...

. This theoretical position is rooted in the conception of information as a non-rivalrous good, whose consumption by one individual does not prevent simultaneous consumption by others. Pirate parties are strong proponents of

free and open-source software Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

development. They recognize its inherent benefits: it provides freedom of use, modification and distribution, transparency to avoid unfair practices, global collaboration, innovation and cost reduction, and enhanced security through code verifiability.

Net neutrality Net neutrality, sometimes referred to as network neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering User (computing), users and online content providers consistent tra ...

represents another key pillar: they support for equal access to the internet and oppose any attempt to restrict or prioritize internet traffic. They promote universal

internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

digital inclusion Digital inclusion involves the activities necessary to ensure equitable access to and use of information and communications technologies for participation in social and economic life including for education, social services, health, social, and co ...

, and

STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

and

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

education to address

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...

. Equally crucial in their programs are public and private investments in R&D, tech

startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...

s, digital infrastructure, Internet infrastructure,

smart city A smart city is an urban area that uses digital technology to collect data and operate services. Data is collected from citizens, devices, buildings, or cameras. Applications include traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities ...

technologies to optimize urban infrastructures, and robust

measures to protect these systems from

cyberattack A cyberattack (or cyber attack) occurs when there is an unauthorized action against computer infrastructure that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its content. The rising dependence on increasingly complex and inte ...

s. Some Pirate parties also support

universal basic income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive a minimum income in the form of an unconditional transfer payment, i.e., without a means test or need to perform Work (hu ...

as a response to the economic challenges posed by advanced

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

. Pirate Parties advocate for a more equitable and inclusive

platform economy The platform economy encompasses economic and social activities facilitated by digital platforms. These platforms — such as Amazon (company), Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Microsoft and Google — serve as intermediaries between various groups of users, ...

based on commons-based peer production and

collaborative consumption Collaborative consumption is the set of those resource circulation systems in which consumers both "obtain" and "provide", temporarily or permanently, valuable resources or service (economics), services through direct interaction with other con ...

principles. These parties conceptualize technological innovations as elements of the global

digital commons Digital Commons is a commercial, hosted institutional repository platform owned by RELX Group. This hosted service, licensed by bepress, is used by over 600 academic institutions, healthcare centers, public libraries, and research centers to show ...

that should be freely accessible to all people worldwide. Unlike many conventional political positions, Pirate Parties oppose concepts of cyber sovereignty and digital

protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations ...

, instead promoting unrestricted information flow across international borders and the systematic reduction of digital barriers between nations. Simultaneously, they work to diminish the concentrated influence of both corporate entities and state authorities that function as digital monopolies. The core Pirate Party position maintains that the internet must be preserved as an open

public space A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public. Roads, pavements, public squares, parks, and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to the public, su ...

devoid of unnecessary restrictions, where individuals can freely access, create, distribute, and share content without experiencing coercion or intimidation. This position reflects their fundamental commitment to digital freedom and the democratization of information technologies. A significant concern for Pirate Parties is the growing threat of

disinformation Disinformation is misleading content deliberately spread to deceive people, or to secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm. Disinformation is an orchestrated adversarial activity in which actors employ strategic dece ...

infodemic An infodemic is a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about certain issues. The word is a portmanteau of ''information'' and ''epidemic'' and is used as a metaphor to describe how misinformation and disinf ...

and manipulation in cyberspace. They advocate for

media literacy Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy that includes the ability to access and analyze Media (communication), media messages, as well as create, reflect and take action—using the power of information and communication—to ma ...

and

information literacy The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of infor ...

programs and transparent content moderation policies that combat false information while preserving freedom of expression. Recognizing how algorithmic echo chambers contribute to

social polarization Social polarization is the segregation within a society that emerges when factors such as income inequality, real-estate fluctuations and economic displacement result in the differentiation of social groups from high-income to low-income. It is a ...

, they support technologies and policies that expose users to diverse viewpoints and promote

critical thinking Critical thinking is the process of analyzing available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to make sound conclusions or informed choices. It involves recognizing underlying assumptions, providing justifications for ideas and actions, ...

skills, viewing these as essential safeguards for democratic discourse in the digital age. In terms of governance, Pirate Parties support the implementation of

open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall, and Edward Vesala album), 1979 * ''Open'' (Go ...

e-government E-government (known for electronic government) involves utilizing technology devices, such as computers and the Internet, for faster means of delivering public services to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offer ...

to enhance transparency, reduce costs, and increase the efficiency of decision-making processes. They propose a hybrid democratic model that integrates direct digital democracy (

e-democracy E-democracy (a blend of the terms Electronic publishing, electronic and democracy), also known as digital democracy or Internet democracy, uses information and communication technology (ICT) in politics, political and governance processes. The ...

) mechanisms with representative democratic institutions. This decentralized and participatory governance, known as collaborative e-democracy, aims to distribute participation and decision-making among citizens through digital tools, allowing them to directly influence public policies (

e-participation Electronic participation (e-participation) refers to the use of ICT in facilitating citizen participation in government-related processes, encompassing areas such as administration, service delivery, decision-making, and policy-making. As such, ...

). It also incorporates forms of AI-assisted governance, secure and transparent electronic voting systems, data-driven decision-making processes, evidence-based policies,

technology assessment Technology assessment (TA, , ) is a practical process of determining the value of a new or emerging technology in and of itself or against existing technologies. This is a means of assessing and rating the new technology from the time when it w ...

s, and

anti-corruption Anti-corruption (or anticorruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measur ...

measures to strengthen democratic processes and prevent manipulation and fraud. Furthermore, these parties strongly defend open-source, decentralized and privacy-enhancing technologies such as

blockchain The blockchain is a distributed ledger with growing lists of Record (computer science), records (''blocks'') that are securely linked together via Cryptographic hash function, cryptographic hashes. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of th ...

cryptocurrencies A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership records ...

as an alternative to state currency (

fiat money Fiat money is a type of government-issued currency that is not backed by a precious metal, such as gold or silver, nor by any other tangible asset or commodity. Fiat currency is typically designated by the issuing government to be legal tende ...

peer-to-peer network Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application Distributed computing is a field of computer science that studies distributed systems, defined as computer systems whose inter-communicating components are located on d ...

instant messaging Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of synchronous computer-mediated communication involving the immediate ( real-time) transmission of messages between two or more parties over the Internet or another computer network. Originally involv ...

with

end-to-end encryption End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a method of implementing a secure communication system where only communicating users can participate. No one else, including the system provider, telecom providers, Internet providers or malicious actors, can ...

, virtual private networks, private and anonymous browsers, etc., considering them essential tools to protect

personal data Personal data, also known as personal information or personally identifiable information (PII), is any information related to an identifiable person. The abbreviation PII is widely used in the United States, but the phrase it abbreviates has fou ...

, individual

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

and

information security Information security is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthorized or inappropriate access to data ...

(both online and offline), against

mass surveillance Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by Local government, local and federal governments or intell ...

data collection Data collection or data gathering is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established system, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes. Data collection is a research com ...

without consent, content

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

without due process, forced decryption, internet throttling or blocking, backdoor requirements in encryption, discriminatory algorithmic practices, unauthorized access to personal data, and the concentration of power in

Big Tech Big Tech, also referred to as the Tech Giants or Tech Titans, is a collective term for the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. The label draws a parallel to similar classifications in other industries, such as "Big Oi ...

. Ultimately, protecting

individual freedom Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and ad ...

is at the core of their political agenda, seen as a bulwark against the growing power of corporations and governments in controlling information and digital autonomy. This aligns perfectly with cyber-libertarian values and principles. The reference to historical

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

was strategically constructed by Pirate Parties through a process of cultural and political resignification. Initially, the term ''pirate'' was adopted provocatively and ironically in response to accusations from the entertainment industry against digital file sharing. Subsequently, this identity was more deeply elaborated to create a coherent political narrative. The members transformed what was initially a pejorative label into a symbol of cultural resistance, recalling the tradition of "pirates" as rebels against established powers. For example, the adoption of the pirate flag (

Jolly Roger Jolly Roger was the England, ensign flown by a piracy, pirate ship preceding or during an attack, during the early 18th century (the latter part of the Golden Age of Piracy). The vast majority of such flags flew the motif of a human skull, or � ...

) was reinterpreted as a symbol of freedom of information and resistance to knowledge monopolies. This contemporary use of the symbol is part of a long tradition of meanings associated with the flag, which goes beyond sea piracy to embrace a message of defiance and freedom. However, the historical reality of piracy was considerably more complex and problematic than the narrative presented by Pirate Parties. Although the pirate republics of the 17th-18th centuries, such as Nassau challenged the colonial powers and did indeed develop codes that provided for rudimentary forms of direct democracy, self-government, compensation for the wounded, limitation of the captain's powers, election of captains, and distribution of spoils, these systems operated within contexts of systematic violence, slavery, and exploitation. Pirates frequently engaged in the

transatlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

, and their "democracies" systematically excluded the victims of their depredations. Consequently, they could not be considered models of democracy in the modern sense of the term. Pirate parties also established parallels with

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

of the 1960s-70s (such as

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford, initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopol ...

in the North Sea), which challenged state radio monopolies by broadcasting pop music from international waters. These historical precedents were particularly effective because they allowed Pirate Parties to present themselves not simply as supporters of

online piracy Online piracy or software piracy is the practice of downloading and distributing copyrighted works digitally without permission, such as music, movies or software. History Nathan Fisk traces the origins of modern online piracy back to similar ...

, but as heirs to a long tradition of resistance to information monopolies, connecting their struggle for digital freedom to a romanticized historical tradition of challenging authority, without the violent and predatory aspects of maritime piracy. Rather than completely rejecting the traditional political spectrum ''left–right'', Pirate Parties operate on a distinct political axis that political scientists might call ''authoritarian-anarchist'' or ''centralized-distributed'' in the digital and technological spheres. Therefore, they tend to combine libertarian and anarchist elements on digital issues with progressive (from the American point of view) positions on social issues.

History

The first Pirate Party to be established was the Pirate Party of Sweden (), whose website was launched on 1 January 2006 by Rick Falkvinge. Falkvinge was inspired to found the party after he found that Swedish politicians were generally unresponsive to Sweden's debate over changes to

copyright law A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, e ...

in 2005. The United States Pirate Party was founded on 6 June 2006 by

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

graduate student Brent Allison. The party's concerns were abolishing the

Digital Millennium Copyright Act The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or ...

, reducing the length of copyrights from 95 years after publication or 70 years after the author's death to 14 years, and the expiry of

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

that do not result in significant progress after four years, as opposed to 20 years. However, Allison stepped down as leader three days after founding the party. The Pirate Party of Austria () was founded in July 2006 in the run-up to the 2006 Austrian legislative election by Florian Hufsky and Jürgen "Juxi" Leitner. The Pirate Party of Finland was founded in 2008 and entered the official registry of Finnish political parties in 2009. The Pirate Party of the Czech Republic () was founded on 19 April 2009 by Jiří Kadeřávek. The

2009 European Parliament election The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Member of the European Parliament, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent s ...

took place between the 4 and 7 June 2009, and various Pirate Parties stood candidates. The most success was had in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, where the Pirate Party of Sweden won 7.1% of the vote, and had Christian Engström elected as the first ever Pirate Party

Member of European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP). Following the introduction of the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...

, the Pirate Party of Sweden were afforded another MEP in 2011, that being Amelia Andersdotter. On 30 July 2009, the Pirate Party UK was registered with the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

. Its first

party leader In a governmental system, a party leader acts as the official representative of their political party, either to a legislature or to the electorate. Depending on the country, the individual colloquially referred to as the "leader" of a politica ...

was Andrew Robinson, and its

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

was Eric Priezkalns. In April 2010, an international organisation to encourage cooperation and unity between Pirate Parties,

Pirate Parties International Pirate Parties International (PPI) is an Political international, international Nonprofit organization, non-profit and non-governmental organization with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Formed in 2010, it serves as a worldwide organizati ...

, was founded in Belgium. In the 2011 Berlin state election to the

Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin The of Berlin (House of Representatives) () is the state parliament ('' Landtag'') of Berlin, Germany according to the city-state's constitution. In 1993, the parliament moved from Rathaus Schöneberg to its present house on Niederkirchnerst ...

, the Pirate Party of Berlin (a state chapter of Pirate Party Germany) won 8.9% of the vote, which corresponded to winning 15 seats.

John Naughton John Naughton (born 18 July 1946) is an Irish academic, journalist and author. He is a senior research fellow in the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities at Cambridge University, director of the Press Fellowship Prog ...

, writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', argued that the Pirate Party of Berlin's success could not be replicated by the Pirate Party UK, as the UK does not use a

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

electoral system. In the

2013 Icelandic parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Iceland on 27 April 2013. Fifteen parties contested the elections, compared to just seven in the previous elections. The result was a victory for the two centre-right opposition parties, the Independence Par ...

, the Icelandic

Pirate Party Pirate Party is a label adopted by various Political party, political parties worldwide that share a set of values and policies focused on Civil and political rights, civil rights in the digital age. The fundamental principles of Pirate Partie ...

won 5.1% of the vote, returning three Pirate Party Members of Parliament. Those were

Birgitta Jónsdóttir Birgitta Jónsdóttir (born 17 April 1967) is an Icelandic politician, anarchist, poet, and activist. She was a Member of the Althing (MP) for the Southwest Constituency from 2013 to 2017, representing the Pirate Party, having been elected at t ...

for the Southwest Constituency, Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson for Reykjavik Constituency North and Jón Þór Ólafsson for Reykjavik Constituency South. Birgitta had previously been an MP for the Citizens' Movement (from 2009 to 2013), representing Reykjavik Constituency South. , it was the largest political party in Iceland, with 23.9% of the vote. The

2014 European Parliament election The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 22 and 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties field ...

took place between 22 and 24 May.

Felix Reda Felix Reda (formerly Julia Reda; born 30 November 1986) is a German researcher, politician, and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Germany. He was a member of the Pirate Party Germany until 27 March 2019, part of The Greens–E ...

was at the top of the list for Pirate Party Germany, and was subsequently elected as the party received 1.5% of the vote. Other notable results include the

Czech Pirate Party The Czech Pirate Party ( ) often known simply as the Pirates (''Piráti'' ) is a Liberalism, liberal Progressivism, progressive List of political parties in the Czech Republic, political party in the Czech Republic, founded in 2009. The party was ...

, who received 4.8% of the vote, meaning they were only 0.2% shy of getting elected, the Pirate Party of Luxembourg, who received 4.2% of the vote, and the Pirate Party of Sweden, who received 2.2% of the vote, but lost both their MEPs. Reda had previously worked as an assistant in the office of former Pirate Party MEP Amelia Andersdotter. On 11 June 2014, Reda was elected vice-president of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament. Reda was given the job of copyright reform rapporteur. The Icelandic Pirate Party was leading the national polls in March 2015, with 23.9%. The Independence Party polled 23.4%, only 0.5% behind the Pirate Party. According to the poll, the Pirate Party would win 16 seats in the

Althing The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Parliament, national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ('Thing (assembly), thing ...

. In April 2016, in the wake of the

Panama Papers The Panama Papers () are 11.5 million leaked documents (or 2.6 terabytes of data) published beginning April 3, 2016. The papers detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities. These document ...

scandal, polls showed the Icelandic Pirate Party at 43% and the Independence Party at 21.6%, although the Pirate Party eventually won 15% of the vote and 10 seats in the 29 October 2016 parliamentary election. In April 2017, a group of students at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

formed a Pirate Party to participate in the Associated Students of the University of California senate elections, winning the only third-party seat. The

entered the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

of the Czech Parliament for the first time after the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

held on 20 and 21 October 2017, with 10.8% of the vote. The

, after finishing in second place with 17.1% of the vote in the 2018 Prague municipal election held on 5 and 6 October 2018, formed a coalition with Prague Together and United Forces for Prague (

TOP 09 TOP 09 (, ) is a liberal-conservative list of political parties in the Czech Republic, political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Adamová, Markéta Pekarová Adamová. 14 of its members sit in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Rep ...

, Mayors and Independents,

KDU-ČSL KDU-ČSL (In Czech language, Czech, the initials of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party; ), often shortened to ("the populars"), is a Christian democracy, Christian democratic list of political parties in the Czec ...

, Liberal-Environmental Party and SNK European Democrats). The representative of the

Zdeněk Hřib Zdeněk Hřib (born 21 May 1981) is a Czech healthcare manager and politician, who has served as chair of the Czech Pirate Party since November 2024, and served as the Mayor of Prague from November 2018 to February 2023. Initially a physicia ...

, was selected to be Mayor of Prague. This was probably the first time a pirate party member became the mayor of a major world city. At the

2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 23 and 26 May 2019. It was the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) we ...

, three Czech Pirate MEPs and one German Pirate MEP were voted in and joined the

Greens–European Free Alliance The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) is a political group of the European Parliament composed primarily of Green politics, green political parties. The group consists of European Green Party (EGP), part of the European Free Allianc ...

, the aforementioned group in the European Parliament that had previously included Swedish Pirate MEPs and German Julia Reda.

Copyright and censorship

Some campaigns have included demands for the reform of

and

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

laws. In 2010, Swedish MEP Christian Engström called for supporters of amendments to the

Data Retention Directive The Data Retention Directive (Directive 2006/24/EC), later declared invalid by the European Court of Justice, was at first passed on 15 March 2006 and regulated data retention, where data has been generated or processed in connection with the ...

to withdraw their signatures, citing a misleading campaign.

International organizations

Pirate Parties International

Pirate Parties International (PPI) is the umbrella organization of the national Pirate Parties. Since 2006, the organization has existed as a loose union of the national parties. Since October 2009, Pirate Parties International has had the status of a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

(Feitelijke vereniging) based in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The organization was officially founded at a conference from 16 to 18 April 2010 in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, when the organization's statutes were adopted by the 22 national pirate parties represented at the event.

European Pirate Party

The European Pirate Party (PPEU) is a European political alliance founded in March 2014 which consists of various pirate parties within European countries. It is not currently registered as a

European political party A European political party, formerly known as a political party at European levelArticle 10.4 of the 2007 Treaty on European Union states that "political parties at European level contribute to forming European political awareness" and Regul ...

Parti Pirate Francophone

In Parti Pirate Francophone, the French-speaking Pirate Parties are organized. Current members are the pirates parties in Belgium,

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

, France, Canada, and Switzerland.

European Parliament elections

2009

2013

^*Held in 2013 due to Croatia's entry into EU

2014

¹Party only participated in North West England constituency
²PPAT is in alliance with two other parties: The Austrian Communist Party and Der Wandel. The alliance is called "Europa Anders" and also includes some independents in their lists
³with Ecological Greens
⁴PPEE are campaigning for an independent candidate ( Silver Meikar) who supports the pirate program

2019

2024

National elections

Elected representatives

Representatives of the Pirate Party movement that have been elected to a national or supranational

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

Pirate Party of Sweden

* Christian Engström, former MEP for

(2009–2014) * Amelia Andersdotter, former MEP for Sweden (2011–2014)

Czech Pirate Party The Czech Pirate Party ( ) often known simply as the Pirates (''Piráti'' ) is a Liberalism, liberal Progressivism, progressive List of political parties in the Czech Republic, political party in the Czech Republic, founded in 2009. The party was ...

Czech Pirate Party press conference 4 June 2019

Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic The Chamber of Deputies, officially the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (, PS PČR), is the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The chamber has 200 seats and deputies are elected for four-year terms u ...

Since the

2021 Czech legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 8 and 9 October 2021. All 200 members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Chamber of Deputies were elected, with the leader of the resulting government to become the Prime ...

, the following 4 MPs are in office: * Jakub Michálek, MP for

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

(2017–) * Olga Richterová, MP for

(2017–) *

Ivan Bartoš Ivan Bartoš (born 20 March 1980) is a Czech civil rights activist and politician for the Czech Pirate Party, who served as the Minister of Regional Development and Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization in the Cabinet of Petr Fiala from ...

, MP for

Central Bohemia The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

(2017–2021), MP for

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

(2021–), Leader of the

and Minister of Regional Development (2021–2024) * Klára Kocmanová, MP for

(2021–) The following served as MPs during the 2017–2021 term: * Dana Balcarová, MP for

* Ondřej Profant, MP for

Jan Lipavský Jan Lipavský (born 2 July 1985) is a Czech politician and information technology manager who has been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic since December 2021, in the Petr Fia ...

, MP for

, later the Foreign Affairs minister (2021–), though he left the Pirates in 2024 when the party left government. * Lenka Kozlová, MP for

* František Kopřiva, MP for

* Lukáš Kolařík, MP for

South Bohemia The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western part of the South Bohemian Reg ...

* Lukáš Bartoň, MP for

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

* Petr Třešnák, MP for

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

František Navrkal František () is a masculine Czech and Slovak given name. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François and Franz. It can be also surname (feminine: Františková). Notable people with the name include: Given name Arts * Frank Daniel (Fran ...

, MP for

(2019–) * Tomáš Martínek, MP for

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

* Martin Jiránek, MP for

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

* Mikuláš Ferjenčík, MP for

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

* Jan Pošvář, MP for Vysočina * Radek Holomčík, MP for

South Moravia The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

* Tomáš Vymazal, MP for

* Vojtěch Pikal, MP for

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

* František Elfmark, MP for

Zlín Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...

* Lukáš Černohorský, MP for Moravian-Silesian * Ondřej Polanský, MP for Moravian-Silesian * Mikuláš Peksa, MP for

(2017–2019), then elected to European Parliament

Senate of the Czech Republic The Senate () is the upper house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Senate is Wallenstein Palace in Prague. Structure The Senate has 81 members, chosen in single-seat constituencies through the two-round system. If no c ...

Since the 2024 Czech senate election, the party had 1 senator, but she left the Pirates in 2025. She is still a supporter of the Pirates. The following are former senators: * Adéla Šípová,

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

Kladno Kladno (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 70,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and has a rich industrial history. Administrative division Kladno consists of six municipal parts ...

(2020–2025) * Libor Michálek, former

for Prague 2 (2012–2018) * Lukáš Wagenknecht, former

for

Prague 8 Prague 8 is a municipal district (''městská část'') in Prague, Czech Republic. The administrative district (''správní obvod'') of the same name consists of municipal districts Prague 8, Březiněves, Ďáblice and Dolní Chabry. Demographic ...

(2018–2024)

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Since the 2024 EU elections, the party has 1 MEP: * Markéta Gregorová, MEP for

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

(2019–) The following are former MEPs: * Marcel Kolaja, MEP for

(2019–2024) * Mikuláš Peksa, MEP for

(2019–2024)

Pirate Party Germany

Since the 2024 EU elections, the party does not have any national elected representatives. The former MEPs are as follows: * Patrick Breyer, former MEP for

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(2019–2024) *

, former MEP for Germany (2014–2019)

Pirate Party Iceland

Since the 2024 parliamentary election, the party does not have any national elected representatives. The former MPs are as follows: * Andrés Ingi Jónsson, MP for Reykjavík North (2016–), originally as a member of the Left-Green Movement, member of the Pirate Party (2021–2024) * Arndís Anna Kristínardóttir Gunnarsdóttir, MP for Reykjavík South (2021–2024) * Björn Leví Gunnarsson, MP for Reykjavík North (2016–2017) and later for Reykjavík South (2017–2024) * Gísli Rafn Ólafsson, MP for

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

(2021–2024) * Halldóra Mogensen, MP for Reykjavík North (2016–2024) * Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, MP for Southwest (2016–2017), for Reykjavík South (2017–2021), and for Southwest (2021–2024) *

, MP for Reykjavík South (2009–2013), and for Southwest (2013–2017) * Ásta Guðrún Helgadóttir, MP for Reykjavík South (2015–2017) * Einar Brynjólfsson, MP for

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

(2016–2017) * Eva Pandóra Baldursdóttir, MP for

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

(2016–2017) * Gunnar Hrafn Jónsson, MP for Reykjavík South (2016–2017) * Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson, MP for Reykjavík North (2013–2016, 2017–2021) * Jón Þór Ólafsson, MP for Reykjavík South (2013–2015) and for Southwest (2016–2021) *

Smári McCarthy Smári McCarthy (; born 7 February 1984) is an Icelandic-Irish politician, innovator and information activist known for his work relating to direct democracy, transparency and privacy. Early life McCarthy was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, the ...

, MP for Southwest (2016–2021)

Pirate Party Luxembourg

* Sven Clement, MP for

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

(2018–) * Marc Goergen, MP for

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

(2018–) * Ben Polidori, MP for

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

(2023–2024), left the party in 2024 and joined LSAP

National parties

Outside Sweden, pirate parties have been started in over 40 countries, inspired by the Swedish initiative.

References

External links

Pirate Parties International
– official website {{Intellectual property activism Anti-corruption parties Civil liberties advocacy groups Civil rights organizations Computer law organizations Copyright law Digital rights Direct democracy movement Free and open-source software organizations Freedom of expression organizations Freedom of information Freedom of speech Intellectual property activism Internet privacy organizations Internet-related activism Net neutrality Open government Participatory democracy Patent reform Political parties established in 2006 Politics and technology Privacy organizations Transnational political parties

Ideology

History

Copyright and censorship

International organizations

Pirate Parties International

European Pirate Party

Parti Pirate Francophone

European Parliament elections

2009

2013

2014

2019

2024

National elections

Elected representatives

Pirate Party of Sweden

Czech Pirate Party The Czech Pirate Party ( ) often known simply as the Pirates (''Piráti'' ) is a Liberalism, liberal Progressivism, progressive List of political parties in the Czech Republic, political party in the Czech Republic, founded in 2009. The party was ...

Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic The Chamber of Deputies, officially the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (, PS PČR), is the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The chamber has 200 seats and deputies are elected for four-year terms u ...

Senate of the Czech Republic The Senate () is the upper house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Senate is Wallenstein Palace in Prague. Structure The Senate has 81 members, chosen in single-seat constituencies through the two-round system. If no c ...

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Pirate Party Germany

Pirate Party Iceland

Pirate Party Luxembourg

National parties

See also

References

External links