US Pirate Party seeks legitimacy, starts in Utah

By Jacqui Cheng

It's a common sentiment among tech-savvy audiences that the current copyright and patent system in the US is "broken" to some degree. And while some politicians have put issues like patent and copyright reform at the top of their lists, there aren't many political parties out there that make it one of their sole issues. That's where the US "Pirate Party" hopes to step in; the group is now hoping to establish itself as an officially-acknowledged political body in the state of Utah.

Established in 2006, the US arm of the international "pirate party movement" says that it believes the government should encourage creativity and freedom instead of smothering it. According to the group's web site, "Creativity has come to a standstill in this country for those who wish to work within, and benefit from, the confines of the law." The Pirate Party cites current copyright and patent laws as the reason for this, and "that our law not only allows this, but enables this, is a travesty and a crime against innovators everywhere."

However, contrary to what the party's name implies, the US Pirate Party does not condone piracy. "We've chosen to adopt the Pirate name so as to pay homage to the creative artists of the past, or as they would now be known, Pirates, thieves, and copyright infringers," reads the web site.

The group has now begun to accept statements of support in order to establish itself as a viable political party in Utah. Apparently known for its "strong history" of political diversity and technological progress, Pirate Party spokesperson Andrew Norton says that Utah seems to be the ideal state to register in. The group needs 2,000 signatures from registered voters before next February in order to establish itself as a political party. Doing so will allow the Pirate Party to place candidates on the state's primary ballot under the party's name—otherwise, they must list the individuals as unaffiliated or write-in candidates.

"Voters in Utah are now one step closer to being able to voice their opinions on the key issues our party stands for," Norton said in a statement. But there's a big gap between being "established in Utah" and "viable political force"—and that's not even taking into account the extremely narrow scope of the party's supported issues. The two-party system in the US is extremely entrenched, and even the strongest independent forces are still working hard to make a significant dent in the US government. Even if the group succeeds in getting established in Utah, the Swedish Pirate Party's failed efforts to gain a parliamentary seat foreshadow the steep uphill battle that the group will face in coming years.