Revision: Piratbyrån (2003–2009)

Revision: Piratbyrån (2003–2009)

File sharing and commons-based net cultures flourished briefly in the 2000s, before giving way to the big platforms. The think tank Piratbyrån (The Pirate Bureau, 2003–2009) began as a mockery of the Swedish copyright industry lobby group "Antipiratbyrån," but soon became involved in major net politics, in part by launching the infamous file-sharing website The Pirate Bay. Through online chats and public stunts, Piratbyrån investigated  how net culture was transforming friendship, music, politics, and life in general. The installation contains two silent video loops curated by former members Magnus Eriksson and Rasmus Fleischer. One shows examples of Piratbyrån's documentation of various happenings. The other focuses on representations of Piratbyrån in news and entertainment media. The contrast between the two, and the confusion it produced on both sides, is one way to look at the group’s legacy.

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