SOPA : Goodbye Internet?

[NikoDG]

This is just a discussion thread about SOPA. Voice your outrage, or say why you think it is necessary. Will it kill the internet? Is it a necessary evil? Let the raging begin, haha

[Andrewr05]

I don't think SOPA will pass, however I legitimately believe that SOPA was intentionally made to seem extreme so that the next bill can come along and fly under the radar because "Hey, it's not as bad as SOPA right?".

 

 

People hate it when this is brought up (boohoo?), but I see it just like gun control.

Sure they will never outright ban firearms in one swoop but EVERY little bill/law/rule/regulation/stipulation passed is one step closer to that extreme.

 

 

 

 

Same with freedom of speech, each seemingly tiny stipulation in our right to free speech is one step closer to a totalitarian state.

[Black64]

I don't think it will pass, its to extreme.

[VaporX]

Sadly I think money talks in Washington and the movie/record industry has and is still pumping way to much money into this for it to fail. It may not pass as is but it will pass in some form.

 

As for "destroying" the internet, that is not likely. I do not doubt it will have an impact but I doubt it will be as huge as some chicken littles are calling for. I do think however we will see Youtube all but go dark if it does pass and will see streaming services either increase subscriptions fees or drop all together.

[NikoDG]

Yeah, it'd be pretty hard to monitor every little bit of the Internet for infractions. But it does seem like a lot of overkill, and I agree that it won't even achieve it's main goal in stopping piracy.

[Deathmineral]

I don't think it will pass and hope it doesn't, however I do have have a small desire that it does pass in it's current state. Not because I want to have the internet censored but because I'd like to see if I'm right or wrong I guess, I'd like to find out if I'm really a "chicken little" as Ed says.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only person out there that's curious about the outcome of this bill passing either. Whether any of us believe it will or will not have an impact doesn't matter, it's when it actually happens that we find out the truth.

[El_Capitan]

I don't care. Things always balance out in the end, whether through blood, fire, or tears.

[NikoDG]

I don't think clichés will save the day Capitan

[IVIYTH0S]

For those who don't know what SOPA is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act (maybe add that to the first post)

 

I don't think it will pass either but like Andrew said, give them time and they'll find a way to pass every small piece of it until they get what they want anyway. It's a pretty disgustingly powerful bill though

[NikoDG]

Say bye to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and pretty much any forum. If someone has the freedom to post a link or even a short discussion on piracy it'd be gone

[ClayMeow]

Some form of it will pass, but not its current state in its entirety.

 

No, it will not mark the end of the Internet.

[wevsspot]

After writing an Arkansas native on the Judiciary Committee as well as our State Representative, to this point I've only received a response from our Representative. I'm including a full transcript of our email discussion below;

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With all due respect Honorable Rep. Womack, neither of these bills will eliminate the illegal obtainment, procurement or piracy of intellectual property, copyright protected or patented property by enterprising individuals or state sponsored "hackers - thieves". All one has to do is look at the list of both supporters and detractors of these proposed bills to understand the driving forces of the powerful influences lobbying in favor of this legislation. I'm particularly concerned that the list of companies opposing (and whose sole revenue is driven largely by technology and the internet) includes such giants as Google, Amazon, Facebook, GoDaddy, YouTube etc. to name just a few. And, frankly after what the American public has witnessed and suffered through the last several years at the hands of and as the result of various elected officials, I'm skeptical of any legislation that has such broad ranging implications.

Further influencing my strong feeling against this legislation is the bloated bureaucracy that will be created in order to investigate and enforce the provisions of these proposed laws. It is my strong belief that the end result of this proposed legislation will be the further abuse of individual rights, censorship and big brother snooping into the lives of everyday American citizens. With zero long term curtailment or persuasion of those persons or countries who desire to steal that which is rightfully the property of the United States or her citizens and corporations.

I have 23 years experience in the Information Technology, Networking, Communications, Internet and Hardware business world and I base my opinions and convictions on my own experience and observations.

I'll close by saying that I will not vote for any Representative that supports this legislation. Which, in and of itself is painful because I've been an ardent supporter of you as our Representative.

Kindest regards,

Jerry Wever

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Representative Steve Womack

To: [email protected]

Sent: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 9:25 AM

Subject: Reply from Congressman Steve Womack

 

January 3, 2012

 

Dear Mr. Wever,

 

Thank you for contacting me regarding current legislation that addresses the issue of online theft of intellectual property. It is good to hear from you.

 

The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (PROTECTIP) Act, S.968, was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on May 12, 2011, to allow the U.S. attorney general to seek court orders requiring U.S.-based search engines and internet service providers to stop providing links to infringing sites. In addition, it requires payment processors and online advertising networks to refrain from conducting business with such sites. The PROTECT IP Act was reported by voice vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee and is currently pending before the full Senate for passage.

 

While a companion bill to the PROTECT IP Act has not been introduced in the House, Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) introduced H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, which has the same general goal of protecting American ingenuity. It goes further than the PROTECT IP Act to work with other governments, including those of other countries, to combat piracy, in addition to increasing criminal penalties. Furthermore, it aims at protecting American consumers at risk for identity theft or fraudulent charges every day. SOPA is a more aggressive bill in regard to fighting the theft of intellectual property, and it is currently under consideration by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet.

 

While I believe individuals and entities who possess copyrights and patents deserve to fully benefit from the legal protection afforded them, any legislation of this magnitude must be carefully considered. Contrary to what many believe, this bill will not censor free speech but will work to protect those rights afforded to us by the Constitution, including free speech and property rights. I support working toward a solution to ensure our nation's legal system protects the hard work of songwriters, performers, authors, artists, engineers, and countless others who invest their time and energy to better our country while, at the same time, ensuring that the internet allows for freedom of speech and ideas. I assure you I will keep your thoughts in mind as I consider my position on this legislation.

 

Again, thank you for contacting me regarding intellectual property legislation. Please continue to keep me informed of the issues that are important to you, and be sure to visit my website, www.womack.house.gov , for more information.

 

Sincerely,

Congressman Steve Womack

Member of Congress