Pirate Party on course for election wins in Sweden

The Piracy Party campaigns for copyright reform

A Swedish political party set up to promote internet piracy and reform copyright laws is set to win several seats in the European Parliament, according to reports.

The Times reported that the pro-file-sharing Pirate Party is now Sweden's third largest political party, according to a new poll which put its support at eight per cent, enough to give it a number of seats in Brussels.

Rick Falk Vinge, the party's leader, is reported as saying that the establishment and politicians have "declared war against our entire generation" .

"Our politicians are digital illiterates," he added. "We need politicians that will not let themselves be bullied by foreign powers. To vote in the EU elections is more important than ever before."

The Pirate Party was founded in early 2006 and strives to reform laws around copyright and patents, as well as strengthening the right to privacy. When the owners of the Pirate Bay site were arrested in May the same year, the party's membership began to soar.

In related news, the ongoing appeal by the Pirate Bay founders against their prison sentences took another twist as the judge assigned to review the case, Ulrika Ihrfelt, was removed to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

It was revealed that the judge in the first trial, Tomas Nortström, was a member of the Swedish Copyright Association and the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property, as were some members of the prosecution.

After defence lawyers lodged an appeal, a new Ihrfelt was appointed to review whether there had in fact been a conflict of interest on the part of Nortström. But it has now been revealed that she is affiliated to exactly the same pro-copyright organisations as the first judge.

The four founders of Pirate Bay face a year in jail and a fine of 30 million kronor (£2.4m).