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Ethics of File Sharing – The Shallowness of Most Accusations September 4, 2013 · by Michael Wartenbe · in Pirate Topic Those who are open to others about their file sharing are keenly aware of the criticisms that are thrown at us, many times without much thought. Some of the more emotional accusations even equate us with pirates, a term that was easily adopted as a symbol of freedom and liberation from a monopolistic, elite royalty. The remaining criticisms are flush with their own lack of thought as can be seen with a simple analysis. What follows is an examination of the anti-piracy accusations of morality, legality, and “health of …

Digital Goods as a Public Good August 26, 2013 · by Michael Wartenbe · in Pirate Topic The Pirate Parties have an obvious lineage from The Pirate Bay and other forms of digital piracy, but bootlegging and sharing of media has been going on for decades. What is it then that has changed with the advent of digital media? Why has the concern of piracy become a political one? The answer lies in media digitization, and thus transformation, into a public good. A public good is commonly defined as one that is both non-excludable and non-rivalrous. The importance of digital goods is media becoming non-rivalrous—meaning one person’s use of the …

What is the TPP? (The Big Brother of ACTA Explained) August 23, 2013 · by Michael Wartenbe · in Pirate Topic Currently under negotiations is an expansion of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, a Pacific orientated trade agreement composed of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore. Eight additional prospectives have joined negotiations for membership, which would expand the agreement to Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States, Vietnam, and possibly Japan. As suggested by proponents, once finished the Trans-pacific Partnership (TPP) will have implemented liberalized economic and trade policies throughout the Pacific coastal members. As with all trade-blocs, however, there are grave concerns over democracy, transparency, and privacy, with …