What is your opinion of SOPA?

[Gene Steinberg]

That may be a bit much. There needs to be a better way for companies, particularly small publishers, to demand takedowns for pirated content.

Let me present an example from a colleague, Adam Engst, who is a frequent guest on my tech radio show:

http://tidbits.com/article/12719

As you see from Adam's comments, the current DCMA inadequate. SOPA was overkill. They need to strike a balance, but the issue should not be ignored.

 

[Brent W]

You may be right but these two bills need to die and then these jackass politicians should start consulting with people that know what the internet is before they introduce legislation like this.

 

[Pereira]

Wikipedia is going black on January 18th!

https://twitter.com/#!/jimmy_wales/status/158960549105909761

This will mean students will have to do homework by themselves. Not gonna go down well I'd assume.

 

[jasetaro]

Yes. This bill needs to be killed off entirely.

Looks like it's effectively dead:

In a surprise move today, Representative Eric Cantor(R-VA) announced that he will stop all action on SOPA, effectively killing the bill. This move was most likely due to several things. One of those things is that SOPA and PIPA met huge online protest against the bills. Another reason would be that the White House threatened to veto the bill if it had passed. However, it isn't quite time yet to celebrate, as PIPA(the Senate's version of SOPA) is still up for consideration.

More here: http://www.examiner.com/computers-in-denver/house-kills-sopa

Bravo Zulus and Sierra Hotels to Eric Cantor... Hopefully, it will stay dead.

 

[Brent W]

PIPA has still not been officially killed last I checked.

 

[Taylor J]

Just because SOPA was shelved doesn't mean it is dead.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Just because SOPA was shelved doesn't mean it is dead.

With such a polarized Congress, it's as close as it can get, but that doesn't mean the opposition should rest on their laurels.

 

[Forsaken]

The RIAA/MPAA will be pushing for a new bill within a month .

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Speaking as a content creator, there needs to be a workable law. SOPA was overkill. But remember that, even though entertainment industry executives and some famous acts are well paid, there are loads of people in show business who barely make a living wage. For every blockbuster movie, there are many that never recoup their production and marketing costs. Music and movie piracy doesn't just take food out of the mouths of rich people. Also consider the plight of small publishers and independent producers who suffer from the same problem. And when you suggest that creative content should be freely distributed, consider what would happen if someone took your paycheck away.

 

[Forsaken]

I agree that there needs to be something created to allow people to protect their intellectual property, however it has to be something that is made with the people of America, and not groups like the RIAA/MPAA.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Government always overcorrects when trying to do something that seems to be the right thing to do. There will always be competing interests. But it seems that Obama and Congress both understand that SOPA went too far in the wrong direction.

 

[Forsaken]

Government always overcorrects when trying to do something that seems to be the right thing to do. There will always be competing interests. But it seems that Obama and Congress both understand that SOPA went too far in the wrong direction.

Or congress just wasn't given enough money...

 

[Kim]

I agree that there needs to be something created to allow people to protect their intellectual property, however it has to be something that is made with the people of America, and not groups like the RIAA/MPAA.

And not just America

As a very small producer I have had my products ripped, stolen, openly blazenly copied, and abused every which way possible.

Education would be a good starting point, I recall the discussions we have had here in the past, and the willful ignorance displayed about Intellectual Property is astounding. Teach kids what it means. Create easier mechanisms to protect small/solo creators whilst you are at it..

 

[Fred Sherman]

If SOPA passes just make sure you host your website in a country the USA is scared of and they won’t touch you!

You missed the point of SOPA; it targets foreign websites.

 

[iTuN3r]

You missed the point of SOPA; it targets foreign websites.

Sorry Fred but you are delusional . They have already been doing that for years there are simple major steps to block foreign sites through ISP they need valid reason isp simply can block those sites for US internet users .

 

[Fred Sherman]

I actually read the entire test of SOPA. I'll be happy to post it, highlight it and comment. There are a number of lawyers and law students here how can add to a substantive discussion on what SOPA really is instead of the internet rumors, lies and fear-mongering.

 

[iTuN3r]

I actually read the entire test of SOPA. I'll be happy to post it, highlight it and comment. There are a number of lawyers and law students here how can add to a substantive discussion on what SOPA really is instead of the internet rumors, lies and fear-mongering.

There is always hidden agenda behind such acts . I don't need to worry about it much but still they have already been doing that for years blocking off certain foreign sites . Lots of sites have gone down in last few years without any notice . Why do they need this bill passed when they are already blocking those sites,closing down those sites.They might be able to block those sites but still they won't be able to clean up the root of piracy within US itself .

 

[Fred Sherman]

There is always hidden agenda behind such acts

This is always where the discussion begin.

1. There is a hidden agenda
2. If this clause is abused to the nth degree
3. AND then this clause is abused to the nth degree
4. AND if it happens to land on the desk of a judge who doesn't care, doesn't ready and rubber stamps it
5. AND if no one is paying any attention
6. then this MIGHT happen.

That kind of thinking is right up there with black UN helicopters patrolling the secret shadow government base hidden in the Grand Canyon and tinfoil helmets against the joint US/Alien mind control program.

 

[craigiri]

This is always where the discussion begin.
That kind of thinking is right up there with black UN helicopters patrolling the secret shadow government base hidden in the Grand Canyon and tinfoil helmets against the joint US/Alien mind control program.

That's right up there with the idea that the Patriot Act would cause FBI and CIA agents to listen to sexual conversations between US Military and their spouses....

Or that they listened to young children for a week:
"Among the heavily-redacted documents obtained by the EFF is a report [PDF] showing that the FBI monitored young children for five days, despite the fact that none of the voices being monitored matched the language of the target"

All black helicopter stuff - for sure!

Or, that the FBI admittedly, sworn before Congress, abused the act:
"

The report found many instances when national security letters, which allow the bureau to obtain records from telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, credit companies and other businesses without a judge’s approval, were improperly, and sometimes illegally, used."​

I'm amazed to hear some wanting to put MORE power in the hands of Big Government - and Eric Holder. That seems contrary to the usual dynamic. It seems that authoritarians like ANY additional authority, almost no matter what.​

​

 

[Fred Sherman]

Here's a very good analysis: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarg...s-open-to-stop-online-piracy-act-alternative/

Under the act, the U.S. Department of Justice and copyright holders could seek court orders against websites accused of copyright infringement. Those orders could include bans on networks and payment facilitators that would prevent them from doing business with the allegedly infringing websites, barring search engines from linking to them, and requiring that Internet service providers block access.

Thats a pretty good synopsis of what it is really designed to do. Note that the author, just as I did, points out that it can only happen under court order.

Here's another thats tracks pretty well with what I've said about why companies like Google oppose it: http://www.dailytech.com/Guilty+Unt...es+Internet+Inquisition+Pt+I/article23300.htm

Also notice the target of foreign websites.

I've also brought up the concern that what it does do is create the mechanisms for isolating any website. If you're looking for legitimate concerns, and run the "what's next" scenario...

US government decides to levy an internet tax. Pay or your website is isolated until you do pay. Possible? Sure. And it has nothing to do with the rampant lie of "censorship".

Like almost anything else, there is room for legitimate debate on the actual facts. People of good character still still disagree. But you can't get to that point when there is so much lies and misinformation. The fear mongering to whip up the uninformed into a frenzy is simply a tactic used by the opposition. they don't care that is based on a lie, only that it is vocal an effective.

When we allow that to happen, to be unthinking pawns, then we no longer have an exchange of ideas that leads to compromise and works towards the benefit of all. What we have is policy driven by whomever has the best propaganda machine - the kind of country that would make Joseph Goebbels proud.