June 8, 2009 10:09

Swedish Pirate Party wins European Parliament seat

Pirate Bay fall-out leads to election

Sweden's Pirate Party, which aims to reform copyright laws and protect music file downloaders, has gained enough vote's to win a seat in the European Parliament.

The party gained 7.1 percent of the Swedish vote in last night's (June 8) count, meaning that it will gain at least one, possibly two seats.

The Pirate Party is the third largest political party in Sweden and has seen an increase in profile since four men involved in setting up the file-sharing website were sentenced to a year in jail for copyright infringement in Stockholm.

Party leader Rick Falkvinge hailed the victory as a victory for young technology-savvy people, reports ToffentFreak.

"Together, we have today changed the landscape of European politics," he 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."