Pirates enter EU Parliament

The Swedish Pirate Party, which campaigns for the reform of existing copyright laws, has won a seat in the European Union Parliament. The party managed to gain 7.1% of votes in Sweden and thus earning one of the nation’s 18 seats in the EU parliament. The party will seek to abolish the patent system, reform copyright laws and guarantee online-privacy rights.

Christian Engstrom will take up the seat later this year, and told Wired.com that current copyright laws are a hindrance to online activity.

“If politicians want to prevent ordinary citizens from sharing files, they will constantly have to expand their ability to monitor,” Engstrom said. “It’s necessary to reform the copyright legislation to ensure that citizens’ right to privacy is respected.”

The Pirate Party gained its popularity after the recent conviction of four Swedish citizens who operated The Pirate Bay, one of the most popular sites for copyrighted information downloads.