Pirate Party wins a seat (or two) in Sweden

Internet piracy is big news these days, especially with the trial of the owners of Pirate Bay in Sweden.

And, after European Union parliamentary elections, a political party based on copyright issues has won representation to the European Union.

Exit polls in Sweden indicate the new populist Pirate Party will be a major surprise in European parliamentary balloting.

The public broadcaster SVT survey says the Pirate Party, which advocates shortening the duration of copyright protection and allowing noncommercial file-sharing, has won 7.4 percent of the Swedish vote.

Mashable writes:

So what do these election results mean? In terms of influence, one or two votes is not much. But the fact that a party based almost exclusive on web piracy gained so many votes cannot by ignored by the Swedish political establishment. The web is a dynamic medium where people can share content and information. Attempting to stifle the flow with lawsuits has proven unpopular and ineffective.

Interesting developments in Europe for sure.