The federal minimum-wage law has always served a symbolic purpose beyond setting a specific number.

CNN: What if there were no minimum wage?

The number 400 parts per million is symbolic of what many scientists believe to be the inevitable growth of this gas in our atmosphere, Shepherd said.

CNN: CO2 levels hit new peak at key observatory

But the move may be largely symbolic, as it does not seem to have had an impact on the number of people using The Pirate Bay.

BBC: Google removes The Pirate Bay from auto-complete search