I'm surprised there's no SOPA thread here

[fluffy]

I mean okay I'm guessing everyone here already is raged-out about it but. Yeah. This shit's important.

[Caravan Ray]

I doubt that NSW state politics is of much interest to people here.

But as far as I know, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority seems to do a reasonable job.

[fluffy]

SOPA is important to non-Americans too.

[JonPorobil]

I was really up-in-arms about it for a while, but my representative is Lamar Smith, the guy who wrote it. My two senators are John Cornyn (who recently flipped over to our side of the issue) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (whose position I never really bothered to look up). So even when I was really mad about it, I felt pretty helpless to do anything about it.

After the events of last week - and especially of today - I really don't see it as a credible threat anymore. People close to Obama pledged that he wouldn't support legislation that (like PROTECT-IP and SOPA) tinkers with the way DNS works. Eric Cantor shelved SOPA. And after today's Wikipedia blackout, more and more lawmakers are realizing that the bill (which they may have read, but mostly didn't understand) far oversteps its bounds in enforcing against "piracy." It's doubtful that PROTECT-IP will survive a filibuster (and yes, Ron Wyden will actually filibuster the senate floor, rather than just invoking "procedural filibuster" as has been customary for the last few political cycles).

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure these laws will return in retooled (and possibly renamed) formats, but they won't be as scary next time. Not unless this next election changes the guy with the veto pen and a dramatic percentage of the House and Senate.

[Manhattan Glutton]

I was against SOPA before it was cool to be against it.

Now I'm pro-SOPA because I am an individual.

[Caravan Ray]

SOPA is important to non-Americans too.

Thanks. I'll try to remember that.

[fluffy]

For example: let's say that an RIAA member trumps up charges of copyright infringement on Song Fight, because people are posting covers and music videos or using samples from commercial songs. Then Dreamhost would be legally required to shut down the site.

Any site based in the US or with DNS served from here would be at risk of a takedown because a commercial interest decides, based on even the most ridiculous nonsense, that it is hosting pirated content. Remember the "Purple Tapes" thing from a few years ago? What if Prince sees that page and believes incorrectly that it's actually his album being hosted there? Prince's lawyers can get the site taken down, and any sites linking to that site (including Song Fight), without any sort of due process or countermeasure.

[Caravan Ray]

It is mildly amusing how blokes like Old Rupert seem to be behind this thing. Rupe likes to be all capitalist and free-markety and such most of the time (like when the guvment wants to interfere when his minions hack into the voicemail of dead schoolgirls) - but as soon as anthother industry muscles in on his profits - it's all - waaaaaahhhhh!!!! - please guvment...we need laws to protect us!!!!


...otherwise, I suspect that JE may be on the right track above. I know very little about this thing - mainly because it looks very uninteresting - but seriously - if your government is really about to pass legislation which will allow frivolous or vexatious claims to impinge on the ability of individuals to carry out lawful business with no right of appeal - then you have far more to worry about than simple copyright issues.

[JonPorobil]

...if your government is really about to pass legislation which will allow frivolous or vexatious claims to impinge on the ability of individuals to carry out lawful business with no right of appeal - then you have far more to worry about than simple copyright issues.

That much is true.

[fluffy]

Well, yeah, and this is just yet another example of the recent trajectory our government is following, and it's very disturbing. I'm hoping that if enough of a protest happens over bills like these our government folks will be forced to remember that they are supposed to be a government "by the people, for the people." Of course, a lot of our so-called leaders consider corporations to be people now, too. (Well, they consider corporations to have all the rights of the people, but none of the responsibilities or liabilities. Heads I win, tails you lose.)

[Billy's Little Trip]

SOPA is important to non-Americans too.

The internet is American, haven't you heard?

[Billy's Little Trip]

I lollorskated.

[JonPorobil]

Awesome.