SOPA and PIPA

On January 18, Wikipedia, Google and thousands of other sites have launched black-out protests to draw attention to anti-piracy bills pending in Congress, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). ^[a,b]

These two bills are being pushed by large media companies (ABC, Comcast, Newscorp, Viacom). These companies claim that their targets are foreign websites outside the control of the U.S. law, but the broad language of the legislation would permit the black-listing of entire web sites that contain any amount of infringed content, including sites with links to other sites that contain media content (including search engines, Facebook, YouTube etc). ^[c]

It’s the equivalent to holding the owners of the highway responsible for what the drivers do while using the highway. In other words, no more linking to YouTube, Twitter, blogs (Wordpress, Blogger) or any other user-content generated website. The host of a site that contains such links could be black listed, have their domain name confiscated and their finances frozen without due process of law. U.S. courts have already started to rule this way. ^[d]

This legislation would not eliminate rogue web sites (such sites can easily pop up again under a different name) but would instead provide the framework for future abuses of power and suppression of free speech. America would be following in the footsteps of other insecure states such as Russia, China, Iran and Malaysia that crush dissent under the pretext of copyright enforcement. ^[e]

SOPA and PIPA would also damage the economy and suppress innovation by exposing law-abiding businesses, entrepreneurs and internet companies to broad and open-ended liability. It would also damage the free and open nature of the internet by essentially eliminating small sites that don't have sufficient resources to defend themselves against big media bullies, the same bullies who hacked into personal phone accounts. ^[f]

As a side note I find it ironic, for all the Republican talk of limited government and the need for a pro-business environment, that there is only one Republican presidential candidate speaking out about this abuse. ^[g]

If you care about this issue, educate yourself and call or write your representative, otherwise just sit on your hands (hooves) and bleat like a sheep. Baaaaaaahhh!

---------------

References:

[a] SOAP and PIPA – Learn More (Wikipedia)

[b] End Piracy, Not Liberty (Google)

[c] Protest on Web Uses Shutdown to Take On Two Piracy Bills (NY Times)

[d] US courts already enforcing SOPA-style shut-downs (RT News)

[e] How Russian and Chinese Styled 'Copyright Laws' Could Crush Dissent in America (Economic Policy Journal)

[f] Timeline: News Corp and the phone-hacking scandal (Reuters)

[g] Ron Paul on SOPA and NDAA at the N.H. Airport Hanger Rally (Daily Paul)