This article was published on April 16, 2010

New site asks “Are you a Pirate?” The answer’s probably yes


New site asks “Are you a Pirate?” The answer’s probably yes

A Pirate Party candidate in the forthcoming UK General Election has launched a site that asks a simple question: “Are you a pirate?”

AmIAPirate.org is a simple but effective site that appears to be designed to reduce any stigma that people may feel about being called a “Pirate”. Users are prompted to answer five questions such as “Would you download a film you already own on VHS” and “Would you video a concert with your phone?” and then lets you know whether or not you’re a pirate.

Answer even one question with a Yes and the site proclaims you to be a Pirate, telling you “Like more than 7 million other people in the UK, You are a Pirate! Don’t worry, it’s cool!”. The site gives you the option to share the news via Twitter.

Although the site is simple, it does a good job of showing how confusing copyright laws can be. Copying CDs into MP3 format being technically illegal is something that we’re sure many people would disagree with. Whether it’s enough to make them vote for the Pirate Party in the upcoming General Election (if indeed they have that choice in their local area) is another matter.

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The site was created by Tim Dobson, the Pirate Party candidate we interviewed recently.

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