Rickard Falkvinge (bornDick Greger Augustsson, 21 January 1972) is a Swedish politician and the founder of thePirate Party, which he led until 2011.[1]
In 2004, he changed his name from Dick Augustsson to Rickard "Rick" Falkvinge.[7] Falkvinge previously lived inSollentuna, a suburb north ofStockholm,[8] and later relocated toBerlin.[9]
In late 2005, Falkvinge began developing the idea of a political party focused on issues related toillegal file sharing,copyright infringement, andpatent infringement. At the time, the main organization active in the copyright debate in Sweden was the nonpartisanPiratbyrån. On 16 December 2005, Falkvinge registered thedomain namepiratpartiet.se (The Pirate Party). The party’s website was launched on 1 January 2006 through a message on aDirect Connect hub, marking the start of a campaign to register a new political party inSweden.[10][11][12]
Falkvinge chaired the Pirate Party for 18 months, while the party relied on donations and supporter fundraising. He continued as leader through the 2009European Parliament election, when the party won its first seats.[13][14]
In the2009 European Parliament election, The Pirate Party received 7.13% of the vote, making it the most popular party among voters under 30, with 25% support in that age group.[15][16]
After the election, polls placed support at only 3.9%, below the 4.0% threshold for entry, and the party did not win representation in the 2010 parliamentary elections.[17]
During the launch of the party's 2010 election manifesto, Falkvinge stated thatfreedom of speech andfreedom of the press should take precedence over the ban on possession of drawings that could be consideredchild sexual abuse materials (CSAM). The party proposed repealing the 1999 Child Pornography Act, which prohibits possession of audio and visual materials depictingchild sexual abuse.[18]
His comments were made in connection with a court case involving amanga researcher and translator charged with possessing drawings depicting minors in sexual contexts. TheSwedish Union of Journalists expressed support for Falkvinge's position.[19] The proposal generated internal disagreement within the Pirate Party, leading Falkvinge to initially retract his remarks before restating them in 2012.[20][21]
Falkvinge has been a long-time supporter ofThe Pirate Bay, a Sweden-based online search index founded in 2003, known for facilitatingpeer-to-peer file sharing, includingcopyrighted material such as movies and video games.[22][23][24]
On 31 May 2006, Swedish police raided the site's hosting facilities as part of an investigation into copyright violations, eventually leading to thePirate Bay trial. In response, protests were organized across Europe on 3 June, during which Falkvinge delivered a speech titled "Nothing New Under the Sun".[25][26][27] Falkvinge stated he was "invited daily to television and radio to discuss the political issues of file sharing."[28][29]
On 1 January 2011, five years after founding the Pirate Party, Falkvinge announced his resignation as party leader. He took on the role of a political advocate.[31] Deputy leaderAnna Troberg succeeded him immediately.[32] The announcement was made via a live broadcast.[33]
In 2011,Foreign Policy magazine included him among itsTop 100 Global Thinkers.[35] In 2012,Time Magazine named him one of the world's most influential people,[36] and in 2013,The Guardian listed him among theTop 20 Internet Freedom Fighters Worldwide.[37]
Falkvinge has received recognition from international media and technology organizations for his political activism and advocacy work. In 2009, Swedish magazineFokus listed him among the 100 most influential people in Sweden, and in 2010 he received theGuldmusen award as IT Person of the Year.[38][39]
In 2011,Foreign Policy magazine included him among its Top 100 Global Thinkers.[39] The following year,Time magazine named him one of its TIME 100 nominees, recognizing his role in turning the Pirate Party into an international movement with a presence in more than 25 countries.[40] In 2013,The Guardian listed him among the Top 20 Internet Freedom Fighters Worldwide.[41]
Since stepping down as party leader, Falkvinge has continued speaking at international conferences, including TEDx events in 2012 and 2013, and has appeared in podcasts and interviews discussing cryptocurrency, digital rights, and swarm organizing.[42][43] As of 2024, he remains active in advocating for privacy and decentralized systems through his blog and public appearances.[44]
Falkvinge, Rick (2013).Swarmwise: the tactical manual to changing the world. North Charleston, South Carolina, USA: CreateSpace Publishing Platform.ISBN978-1481954099.[45][46]
^Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (2009).Piraterna – historien on The Pirate Bay, Piratpartiet och Piratbyrån (Pocket) (in Swedish). Ordfront Pocket. p. 246.
^Lindblom Hulthén, Agnetha (6 August 2010)."Barnporrlagen är censur".Journalisten (in Swedish). Archived fromthe original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved12 May 2011.
^Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (2009).Piraterna – historien on The Pirate Bay, Piratpartiet och Piratbyrån (Pocket) (in Swedish). Ordfront Pocket. p. 125.
^Bartels, Henning (2009).Die Piratenpartei (in German). Contumax-Verlag. pp. 32–36.ISBN978-3-86199-001-7.
^Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (2009).Piraterna – historien on The Pirate Bay, Piratpartiet och Piratbyrån (Pocket) (in Swedish). Ordfront Pocket. pp. 143–153.
^abHofslagare, Erik (25 February 2010)."Här är årets pristagare".Computer Sweden (in Swedish). Archived fromthe original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved28 May 2011.
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