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video: http://www.katu.com/news/local/100865474.html?tab=video

PORTLAND, Ore. - Shiver me timbers!

When it comes to elections, you've usually got your Democrats, Republicans, maybe some Libertarians, Greens or those from the Constitution Party.

But have you heard of this one? The Pirate Party.

It may sound like a joke but for these "buccaneers", they be serious about gettin' into Oregon politics.

Pirates are a major trend in movies, costumes and even festivals, but a new kind of pirate wants a foothold in Oregon. They're not the kind that man sails, storm beaches or hijack ships off Africa. These pirates are political.

"What party is going to be more fun than the Pirate Party? I dare say, none," says Jorden Leonard, the party's organizer in Oregon.

"There's the modern pirate and there's the antiquated pirate," he says.

The party started in Sweden four years ago. It's platform, or shall we say plank:

"I suppose we're advocates for innovation in the information age," Leonard says. "We believe in government transparency and (Inter)net neutrality."

"They're ‘net heads,'" says Portland State University political scientist, Ron Tammen. "They have an overriding abidance about the Internet and the Web, and they want to see it open and free and without constraints."

Tammen says the Pirates are bright, modern and articulate, but he understands the dynamics and realities for new, narrow political parties.

"They might burn brightly for a little while - get some attention - then they die out. They die out because if they have a great idea somebody steals it: The Democrats or the Republicans steal it," he says.

"And although the Pirate Party is new and small and may sound a little silly now, it connects to the youth, to technology and the Internet: all the places we are going," Leonard says.

The Pirates' big focus is on patent, trademark and copyright reform.

The party is not officially recognized in any state. It needs almost 21,000 signatures to be an official party in Oregon.

For now, however, they be startin' on Facebook to see how much interest there be.