Russian Pirate Party must change name, contemplates "Pira7e Party"

A Russian judge has ruled that the Russian Pirate Party has to rename itself, citing a law that prohibits naming a party after criminal acts. The party is now debating what new name it will use for ballots. Options include "Unnamed Party" and "Pira7e Party" and "Pirrate Party."

I would like to conclude with stating that our principles, ideas and our website remain unchanged. I ask the public, journalists and all reasonable people to continue calling us "Pirate Party of Russia"

Judge: Pirate Party Name-Ban Decision Stands

• [BlahBlahBlah]

  “Pie-Rats” See Richard Scarry. Mmmmm….pie.

• [St_Mediocrity]

  While I think the Pirate movement is much needed and has some very sane points, I can’t help but wonder if a less …jolly… name would serve the cause better. The fact is that, even in Europe, the old guard associates pirates with huge negativity, while a more neutral name could perhaps convince some of that old guard to actually look at the ideas rather than just the name.

  • [kmoser]

    Perhaps they should go for the political opposite end of the spectrum and call themselves the Ninja Party.

• [dougrogers]

  Cryllic R?

  • [kjulig]

    Obviously, duh. They’re a Russian party after all and as such have a Russian name.

    The current name is “Пиратская партия России,” the proposed misspelled one is “Пираццкая партия России.” No “7″ in there, just a different spelling of the [ts] sound. Maybe Mr. Doctorow would like to correct the title at some point?

  • [autark]

    uhhhhh, but you wouldn’t pronounce the Cyrillic R as “r” (or even “arrrrrgh”) in Russian, it’s a “ya” sound. They aren’t Americans trying ironically to look Russian, they’re, you know, actually Russian.

    not sure if Russian’s commonly combine two words or if this combination would make sense (I know the alphabet and can say a few words, vocab is limited), but I suggest making up their own: пиратриотckaя партия – Piratriot Party – non-existent words can’t be considered criminal acts, but it gets the point across… might even get them on Stephen Colbert for truthiness.

• [Anonymous]

  I know this sounds horrible, but how about naming the party something serius like: The copyright reform party

  Why is it that those in favor of reforms in copyright have to alienate all others in their rhetoric? I mean are we trying to make changes or are we just trying to grab attention?

  • [querent]

    Check out “Steal this Movie,” specifically the “Save the River” bit. Good film.

• [nemryn]

  An equally effective solution would be to make piracy not a crime.

  • [Anonymous]

    I think you just proved St_Mediocrity’s point.

    Are you advocating the legalization of rape, murder, theft and forcible reallocation of assets on the high seas? Really? Because I can’t get behind that.

    Killing hostages “has now become part of our rules,” said a pirate who identified himself as Muse Abdi and referred to last week’s sentencing of a pirate to 33 years in prison for the 2009 attack on the U.S. cargo vessel the Maersk Alabama.

    “From now on, anyone who tries to rescue the hostages in our hands will only collect dead bodies,” he said. “It will never ever happen that hostages are rescued and we are hauled to prison.”

    I think they should call themselves the Monster Flaming Retard Party. It’s just as offensive and a better description of the sort of people who either think pirates are “cool”, or that by capitulating to the loaded language of their opponents they can make a meaningful statement.

    • [Natanael L]

      It’s not the “intellectual property pirates” that started calling themselves pirates. That label were used by others. They just took it and chose to brag about it to mock those who use it against them.

• [Anonymous]

  Seconding privateer party, love that someone got their first, and privateer means pirate sanctioned by law, it also implies making of concessions and forming an equatable agreement with the law of the land, things that pollitical parties must accept if they wish to ever achieve change.

• [Anonymous]

  Private Party?

• [Trent Hawkins]

  This suggests that there have been enough Political Parties named after criminal acts to warren a permanent law against this.

  So this just makes me wonder what other parties were banned.

• [querent]

  I guess, lemme do it.

  An informative name is not real catchy. You gotta be catchy in politics. Get people’s attention first, then maybe they start asking questions.

  “Free Beer!”

• [Ferntree]

  I’d name the party after the judge.

• [Palomino]

  There are 40 “active” Pirate Parties in the world, including the U.S., the are registered in Florida and Massachusetts.

  Per Wikipedia: “The party strives to reform laws regarding copyright and patents. The agenda also includes support for a strengthening of the right to privacy, both on the Internet and res extensa (physical life), and the transparency of state administration.”

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Parties_International

  I vote for Pyrite Party:

  1. Greek “of fire” “afire” “in fire”

  2. Fools Gold

• [Supurcell]

  Surely they can come up with some sort of backronym for P.I.R.A.T.E., like the Party for Internet Rights And Treasure for Everyone.

• [kjulig]

  The last two options listed in Cory’s post are not candidates for the new name but an attempt to “translate” the proposed “Pirratzkaya partiya” (instead of the present “Piratskaya partiya”) into something English speakers recognize.

• [jphilby]

  law that prohibits naming a party after criminal acts

  Doesn’t apply to the party that runs the country, of course.

  • [Gulliver]

    Doesn’t apply to the party that runs the country, of course.

    In most countries it would be redundant.

• [OldBrownSquirrel]

  How about “Privateer Party”?

• [billstewart]

  Pie Rate Party? Or is throwing pies illegal in Post-Soviet Russia as well?

• [Anonymous]

  The Pir8 party ?

• [Anonymous]

  How about just “The Paarty” (emphasis on aar!)

• [Anonymous]

  3.14…rate party.
  Add a thousand digits or so.

• [Anonymous]

  They should be the Pie Irate party. Pies make me ANGRY >_<

• [marco antonio]

  Parrot Party? :)

• [KaiBeezy]

  .
  irate party
  .

• [Nadreck]

  Call them the Privateer Party – that’s legal piracy!

  • [Gulliver]

    Love it.

• [Mim]

  Can’t we just come up with illegal definitions for all of the existing Russian political parties’ names?  Wouldn’t that be a better use of our time?