In sort of related news, the German version of The Pirate Party has got itself a seat in the German parliament, which is an interesting turn of events. It's happened because one existing MP, Jorg Tauss, has quit his political party, the Social Democrats, in a dispute over their policy on internet regulation and censorship. Given the issue that has led to his resignation from the Social Democrats, Tauss has chosen to affiliated himself with the pro-internet freedom party, in doing so catapulting them into the mainstream political system.
As previously reported, the German Pirate Party is similar to that in Sweden which came to mainstream attention during the Pirate Bay trial earlier this year. Although not officially linked to the rogue BitTorrent tracker, the Swedish Pirate Party spoke out in support of its founders. Buoyed by media interest in the trial, and their anti-copyright cause, the Swedish Pirate Party won seats in the European Parliament in the recent Euro elections, standing on a manifesto of wider internet freedoms. Their German counterparts also stood in the European election though didn't get enough votes to get them (anywhere near) any seats in the Euro legislature. Their sudden arrival in the actual German parliament, therefore, is quite a step forward.
What it means for the music industry in Germany, who are increasingly calling on the government there to follow their French counterparts and crack down on internet piracy, I'm not sure. In power terms the Pirate Party still has little, but Tauss' defection will win them some media attention that could hinder the record industry's lobbying efforts.