Pirates ahoy!

TO THE shock of its critics, Sweden’s Pirate Party won a seat in the European Parliament with the promise of reforming copyright and patent law. Most of its votes came from the under-30s, showing that institutions and pricing structures that liberate digital knowledge are gaining support among the young (see “The shape of e-capitalism”). As similar parties emerge around the world, mainstream politicians may be tempted to steal the pirates’ ideas. Those who want to limit our access to knowledge had better get ready to walk the plank.