'Pirates' Could Storm the European Parliament

"This is a party that is going to fade into nothingness, there are going to be dozens of these popping up and they are never going to gain any type of foot hold to actually have an impact on the laws that govern our society."

It is always so.

"The long term effects of a society with no IP rights, and no patent rights could potentially cripple our society back to the dark ages"

Perhaps we are in the dark Ages now.

Here's a whole program.

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    printf("Hello Internet evolution!\n");
    return 0;
}

What is  "intellectual" about that? Why should it be protected?  And protected from what? 
If you make a copy of it you are not depriving me of it, so where is the theft?
 

"I know if a Doctor was brought up on charges relative to him being a
doctor, they would not be allowed to practice medicine until the trial
and appeals process had been completed. Why are they held to a
different standard?"

Two  reasons, they might be innocent after all and they are in a position to kill someone with their computers.
 The appeal courts are the hallmark of civilization. 
My own ramblings. Thank You

To put an end to this, because I think we have the same point of view. Bad economic times only takes things to the extremes, but in essence people don't download illegal movies because they can't afford it, it's something else, a deeper issue.

If a person has always bought their music legally, just because they are running low on cash won't make them thieves because in their mind, that's wrong and is as bad as stealing from a store. They will stop buying as much music as they used to, and that's the second part of the issue (we can't assume every song a person download illegally represents 99 cents, because if that option didn't exist maybe you wouldn't buy them all.

Quoting from the second source:

“This is a high priority issue,” said Motion Picture Association of America head Dan Glickman, who expressed concern that the dire financial situation would make pirated movies more popular on the streets and online.

When people cant afford housing, you can not expect them to pay for music. But they will still listen to music. So what is the way if it is not piracy?

The first article talks about how the measures against piracy have stalled because of the recession. And the second one doesn't really talk about the recession beyond the title. I was suggesting that the recession doesn't make anyone want to download a song more than before.

I don't think personal finances has to do anything with piracy.

I never said that recession invented piracy. I still maintain that recession fuels piracy. Following might convince you:

http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2009/01/17/17gigaom-another-victim-of-the-recession-anti-piracy-16188.html

http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/10152333/Hollywood-fears-piracy-may-thr.html

Menexis - Exactly! The web site is more popular than ever, more downloads, and now amalgamation of the issue into a fashionable political cause.

 “The anarchists have arrived on the steps of the patent office”, ref Terry and they are going to try and break down the door. The copyright industry and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, may end up being the ultimate losers of this court case.
 
In such an economic recession as this, many existing EU members of parliament, in order to secure their seats, are going to consider the words of Marie Antoinette (not too long before losing her head) “Give the people, bread and circuses”, in this case at the cost of the copyright industry? 

I don't think it has anything to do with the recession. Piracy has been around forever. It only takes one clever guy that wants to outsmart everyone else.

We can think of Napster and it operating in the late 90s, when the US economy was in full bloom. Illegal downloading isn't directly related to bad economic times.

I read the Snow Patrol article and I understood their position but for them to defend a 'pirate' is simply wrong, I hope their albums continue to sell (or not, they would deserve that).

Very interesting post and comments. I wonder what the point is because ever since they jailed the owners of Pirate Bay the site is still operating as if nothing happened

This is not going to be temporary movement. Current times are ripe for such a movement.Recession compels people to save costs whereEVER they can. If people cant pay for their house, will they pay for the music? At this time when BIG governments handout BIG money to BIG corporations. At this time when piracy is getting easier than ever .. these notions & these political parties will get popular only popular among youth.

Of course it is not in the long term benefit of the industry. But neither is the scenario that with effort-less, time-less & cost-less production (thanks to advancements in computing), BIG Entertainment still wants to party like it is 1996.

I am not saying that it is right. I am saying it is understandable & it is NOT going to go away. Sooner we find a balance between pirates & BIG entertainment cos, the better it will be for the future of the internet.

Very interesting dispatch, Jart... and given the sort of dynamics Cory Doctorow recently reported, it's not completely surprising. The fact that anti-copyright activists are getting politically organized, however, (at least in Europe) will no doubt put the movie studios, music labels and large publishers on alert. "[Effing] go for it," indeed. The anarchists have arrived on the steps of the patent office.