[AlexdeLarge]

Details on the Pirate Saga

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')orwarded FYI. This sounds like the real story as it fits with other accounts but makes more sense.

Your "Real" story is not exactly the way I heard it, and probably has a few political twists thrown in to stir the pot. Rather than me trying to correct it, I'll just tell you what I found out from my contacts at NSWC Norfolk and at SOCOM Tampa.

First though, let me orient you to familiarize you with the "terrain."

[LGW]

Don't worry - It's just scare tactic from the media industry - It has also lately turned out that the judge has had connections to intellectual property organizations (conflict of interests) so the trial might have to be redone from start.

Even if the verdict proves waterproof all the way to the Supreme Court (unlikely) the site probably won't go down. They have mirrors and trained personell in other countries as a back-up.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('LGW', 'D')on't worry - It's just scare tactic from the media industry - It has also lately turned out that the judge has had connections to intellectual property organizations (conflict of interests) so the trial might have to be redone from start.

Even if the verdict proves waterproof all the way to the Supreme Court (unlikely) the site probably won't go down. They have mirrors and trained personell in other countries as a back-up.

[Micki]

And what do you know, the judge that sentenced them is an member lobbying group for copyright protection and that group represents the people suing Pirate Bay.

Google translation of Swedish article. $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')ore and more people are now demanding that the Pirate Bay trial is to be taken on. During a review of P3 innovations have made it come more data showing that the judge may have been biased.

A few weeks ago revealed that the P3 News Pirate Bay objective judges, Tomas Norström, is a member at leisure in Swedish Association of copyright, SFU. An association where Henrik Pontén from the Anti-Piracy Office is a member, and Peter Danowsky and Monique Wadsted representing rights holders in Pirate Bay trial. This membership is doing, according to Sveriges Radio, Norström automatically also a member of two major international organizations, ALAI and AIPPI.

"This is bias" Organization says that organizations representing copyright holders and are working to ensure that their interests will be satisfied and take clear positions for higher fines and stiffer penalties in copyright issue. Thierry Mollet-Viéville, President of AIPPI, telling Swedish Radio that the corporation believes that copyright law must be respected and that their members should enjoy the same thing:

- The harder the punishment the more valuable is copyright. We are trying to fight against copyright infringement and piracy. After the new information has come now requires several leading figures within the Swedish judiciary to The Pirate Bay trial is taken on

- It is extremely damning. This is the bias, says a judge who wishes to remain anonymous.

- Confidence in the judiciary requires that the court of appeal should consider that this is bias, "says Eric Bylander, Associate Professor of Procedural Law in Gothenburg.

"Corruption and the rot" Tomas Norström has previously said that he did not consider themselves biased just because he is a member of the clubs. Rick Falk Vinge, party for Piratpartiet, has a different view.
- This is corruption and the decay of a completely inexcusable level, he has previously said in a press release.

[bodigami]

there's 2 type of piracy... so, there should be 2 separate threads.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')img]http://torrentfreak.com/images/arrrr-pp.jpg[/img]
The Pirate Party has won a huge victory in the Swedish elections and is marching on to Brussels. After months of campaigning against well established parties, the Pirate Party has gathered enough votes to be guaranteed a seat in the European Parliament.

When the Swedish Pirate Party was founded in early 2006, the majority of the mainstream press were skeptical, with some simply laughing it away. But they were wrong to dismiss this political movement out of hand. Today, the Pirate Party accomplished what some believed to be the impossible, by securing a seat in the European Parliament.

With 99.9% of the districts counted the Pirates have 7.1 percent of the votes, beating several established parties. This means that the Pirate Party will get at least one, but most likely two of the 18 (+2) available seats Sweden has at the European Parliament.

When we asked Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge about the outcome, he told TorrentFreak: “We’ve felt the wind blow in our sails. We’ve seen the polls prior to the election. But to stand here, today, and see the figures coming up on that screen… What do you want me to say? I’ll say anything”

“Together, we have today changed the landscape of European politics. No matter how this night ends, we have changed it,” Falkvinge said. “This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it’s time to make a difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples’ lifestyle, bit by bit. We do not accept that the authorities’ mass-surveillance,” he added.

At least partially, The Pirate Party puts its increased popularity down to harsh copyright laws and the recent conviction of the people behind The Pirate Bay. After the Pirate Bay verdict, Pirate Party membership more than tripled and they now have over 48,000 registered members, more than the total number of votes they received in 2006.

With their presence in Brussels, the Pirate Party hopes to reduce the abuses of power and copyright at the hands of the entertainment industries, and make those activities illegal instead. On the other hand they hope to legalize file-sharing for personal use.

“It’s great fun to be a pirate right now”, Christian Engström, Vice Chairman of the Pirate Party told the press when he arrived.
http://digg.com/d1tBnH

[smallpoxgirl]

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is smiling.

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '
')I love it, wish we had a Pirate Party.

[Quinny]

One consolation from a sad night for Europe.

[Munqi]

How is this good news?

The world is going to hell, swedes are about to become a minority in their own country and the only thing these morons care about is free porn.

Hurray for pirates! yarr!! may ye mock democracy forevar!

[mattduke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Munqi', 'H')ow is this good news?

The world is going to hell, swedes are about to become a minority in their own country and the only thing these morons care about is free porn.

Hurray for pirates! yarr!! may ye mock democracy forevar!

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Munqi', 'H')ow is this good news?

The world is going to hell, swedes are about to become a minority in their own country and the only thing these morons care about is free porn.

Hurray for pirates! yarr!! may ye mock democracy forevar!

[Novus]

If there is another election in the US I am voting Pirate.

[bodigami]

aye, cheers!

[dorlomin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Greek-owned supertanker Maran Centaurus was seized by pirates off Somalia while sailing to the U.S, raising concerns that attackers are ranging farther from shore to hijack merchant ships.

The hijacking is “probably” the farthest from shore by Somali pirates so far, said Cyrus Mody, a manager at the International Maritime Bureau in London. His organization has yet to verify details of the attack, he said.

The vessel, which can carry 2 million barrels of oil, was taken by Somali pirates in the Somali Basin about 600 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles, the European Union anti- piracy naval force in the region said on its Web site today.

“The range of pirates has increased over that which we would have expected,” Mark Jenkins, an analyst at Simpson, Spence & Young Ltd., the second-largest shipbroker, said by phone. “It does imply there’s a need for greater vigilance to safeguard against these things.”

Somali pirates have been responsible for a surge in attacks globally this year and are increasingly using guns to take control of vessels, the International Maritime Bureau said Oct. 21. Jenkins said the effect of the incident on the tanker market will be limited because the amount of oil being shipped west from the Middle East has already dropped.

Maran Centaurus is owned by Anangel Shipping Enterprises SA, according to Lloyd’s Register-Fairlay data on Bloomberg. The vessel was bound for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, or LOOP, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Its last port of call was Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait.

[Kristjan]

2 million barrels of oil is peanuts compared to daily consumption. 2 million barrels is just 2.35% out of the daily 85 million barrels (I used 85 as a convention number, it may actually deviate somewhat, but not much) and it should be fairly easy to replace that oil. The effect of this on the price of oil is probably negligible, if at all evident. Besides, it's not like the pirates are going to drink the oil - it will stay where it is until a navy ship comes around a fire a few rounds at them after which point the oil will re-enter the market.

But as time goes by, events like this could start to have more effect on the price of oil, especially if demand keeps on rising at the same pace that it has the previous few decades. Since we're at or past peak oil, there will be no additional supply to make up for supply constraints such as this.

[eXpat]

Meet the new markets influencers. Lol

[frankthetank]

I do find it amazing they are able to hijack this without at least some sort of a fire fight. It reminds me of the penguins taking over the ship in "Madagascar"...

[mcgowanjm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'S')ometimes I wonder what the hell is going on over there. A SUPERTANKER ?, allowed to be hijacked ?? (insurance and scam come to mind).
Bomb the bastards to Kingdom Come, or is that a little "politically incorrect" these days ?.
Churchill & the old Royal Navy would have had the job sorted by friday.