SOPA and PIPA

[Blah!?]

I'd just like to pass on the news that over the course of only about a day and a half, support for SOPA has crashed through the floor, and opposition is way up. According to ProPublica, there are currently 122 opponents and only 63 supporters. Those numbers were basically backwards yesterday.

Now, I request that we all take a moment of silence for Megaupload.

[King_of_the_ruins]

unfortunately things will get worse before they get better. SOPA has been shelved (for now anyway) but there is still PIPA, and also bill S .978,

which would make streaming music or movie clips on youtube, including anyone who sings or plays an instrument to a copyrighted piece of work.

in violation, and can be charged with a felony.

if bill S .978 passes, potentially 1000s of youtube users could be sent to prison for streaming these things on their youtube account.

[March Hare]

Bondi, don't you understand? People are scared shitless. Scared people are not rational. I do agree there should be more emphasis on information and less on going "WRRAAAAAAAAARRRGHH DOOOOOOM EEEVILL FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY"-style ballistic.

The domain name thing baffles me. ".com" is NOT solely American. There is absolutely no way they can include dot-com into the bill. It's ridiculous and then some. Stupid nationalists! RAAAGE!

See? Not rational.

Seriously though, we need information. I found the text of the legislation online, but it's acres of Legalese and I don't understand it all.

[Bondi]

I do agree that scared people are generally speaking not rational people.

I thought The Daily Show handled the coverage of these bills fairly well. I'm glad to see that the bill has been shelved.

I know this isn't the snake pit, but organizations like the MPAA and other companies that want shit like that are just a bunch of greedy assholes who need to get over this idea that a download is a lost sale. It's not that simple. I could think of a few examples of movies, etc., where I downloaded them illegal and then I bought them...a few cases where I made multiple purchases. People want to complain about frivolous lawsuits; there are a lot of those going on and a lot of them are perpetrated by these organizations.

And why would I ever want to buy a DVD or blu-ray when I can just watch it on a Youtube screen, where it's playing on a TV in the background of another video?

I don't know if I have much else to say here.

[Heavy-Chevy]

I'm glad to see SOPA and PIPA crash and burn under the wave of opposition. But don't think this is the last time you'll see this kind of stupid legislation. You know they'll wait until the hype dies down and everyone forgets all this. Then they'll try to pass it again under another name. Or worse, they'll silently slip it in as part of some other bill.

[passerby]

unfortunately things will get worse before they get better. SOPA has been shelved (for now anyway) but there is still PIPA, and also bill S .978,

which would make streaming music or movie clips on youtube, including anyone who sings or plays an instrument to a copyrighted piece of work.

in violation, and can be charged with a felony.

if bill S .978 passes, potentially 1000s of youtube users could be sent to prison for streaming these things on their youtube account.

Do we know if if has it been officially dropped, or just dropped from being discussed?

[March Hare]

I do agree that scared people are generally speaking not rational people.

I thought The Daily Show handled the coverage of these bills fairly well. I'm glad to see that the bill has been shelved.

I know this isn't the snake pit, but organizations like the MPAA and other companies that want shit like that are just a bunch of greedy assholes who need to get over this idea that a download is a lost sale. It's not that simple. I could think of a few examples of movies, etc., where I downloaded them illegal and then I bought them...a few cases where I made multiple purchases. People want to complain about frivolous lawsuits; there are a lot of those going on and a lot of them are perpetrated by these organizations.

And why would I ever want to buy a DVD or blu-ray when I can just watch it on a Youtube screen, where it's playing on a TV in the background of another video?

I don't know if I have much else to say here.

Hear fucking hear.

...Maybe we should have it moved to the Pit, after all.

@Heavy-Chevy Rumours already abound that they're going to slip it in as a rider for anti-child-pornography legislation. It's almost beautiful in its diabolicality, isn't it? That is, if it's true. I know you shouldn't believe everything you hear, not even about US Republicans...

[Chanel_no5]

I know you shouldn't believe everything you hear, not even about US Republicans...

Was it Republicans? I was under the impression that this was coming from the Democrats.

[Blah!?]

As far as I can tell, it's coming from both parties. I've looked at the ProPublica charts time and time again, and I can't tell how it's actually split. I'd say it's about even, if only because I don't feel like counting every last one.

[vote_for_pedro]

I know you shouldn't believe everything you hear, not even about US Republicans...

Was it Republicans? I was under the impression that this was coming from the Democrats.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time. A long time ago, that sneaky shit Al Gore slipped a tax in with another bill that would basically raise your phone bill eternally. When it comes to US politicians, you can't expect too much from them.

And as far as I'm concerned, Republicans and Democrats are all the same. There really isn't a lesser evil. *steps off soapbox*

[Bondi]

As far as I know, piracy isn't a Republican/Democrat issue. It's an entertainment industry issue, and the ones who want stricter copyright and anti-piracy laws are organizations like the RIAA, the MPAA, and those types of organizations. They're afraid that if you download shit illegal online, you won't ever buy it, period, hence, the whole statistic where for every illegal download, that's one lost sale, so it's harmful for the entertainment industry. This of course is not taking into account the possibility that the person never intended to buy it to begin with and if they couldn't download it, they would find something else to watch or listen to, or the case where someone downloads it illegally, but then decides he likes it and wants to buy it.

[count tiszula]

I know nothing about these matters, so I looked at the article on Wikipedia, appropriately, and now I am just completely confused. I wonder if anyone could give me a concrete example of what deleterious effect these laws, if ever passed, would have?

I understand that Bondi is opposed to any form of copyright protection, and I have some sympathy for this view; but must it not be very irritating for some creative artists, say singer-songwriters or photographers, to find their work becoming very popular through the internet without the authors ever getting a penny out of it. Imagine if it were one of us and some fanfic or artwork.

The first amendment idea is a bit odd for us Europeans who are not cursed with this awful freedom of speech idea. I can't work out whether "hate speech", whatever that may be, is actually legal in the US; if so, surely it should not be.

..

Funny, isn't it, that in a country unhealthily obsessed with democracy, it somehow happens that all these elected officials [who don't seem to have anything real to do] never represent the views of the people. I suppose it's like British Prime Ministers always being immensely unpopular dictators who get reelected time and again.

[vote_for_pedro]

I understand that Bondi is opposed to any form of copyright protection

I swear, Count... I can't ever tell if you're serious! But you make me laugh all the same!

[count tiszula]

I understand that Bondi is opposed to any form of copyright protection

I swear, Count... I can't ever tell if you're serious! But you make me laugh all the same!

Most of the time I'm being silly; so everyone takes me seriously. Occasionally I am serious, and everyone thinks I'm joking. Ah well, it all equals out in the end. Swings and roundabouts, and teeter-totters {?}, do you know....

[March Hare]

I wonder if anyone could give me a concrete example of what deleterious effect these laws, if ever passed, would have?

I can't remember where I read this and I can't be arsed to go search for it, also I don't know how factually accurate it is - but I read somewhere that these laws prohibit creative artists and musicians themselves from selling their own work outside the big entertainment copyright corporations. There was a site where musicians could put up their music, something to do with a connection to iTunes or similar, and they sold their stuff and it worked, and RIAA or similar had it shut down because of some ridiculous copyright or intellectual property rights infringement malarkey.

The whole thing is less about creative people having the control over their own work than about RIAA, MPAA and similar wanting control over fucking everything. Looks like, at least.

[Chanel_no5]

The idea as such is good. I would too want my creative stuff to be protected. However, like Blah's comic there illustrates; they can't do this without making a huge overkill. Back to the drawing boards, guys. Come up with something that keeps up with the digital society, and stop presenting stupid brainstorming suggestions as solutions. Also, media, please stop presenting things as THE FACTS OF DOOM when it might not even have been discussed as a serious political suggestion; that is a very common problem, too. Take my word for it. And information before action is always a good idea, y'know. Just a friendly advice from your SF ex-politician.

VFP: I've ran out of all my decision-making potential the past few weeks, so I can hardly bring myself to have an opinion at all. But I just thought the nature of the Bill sounded vaguely Democrat rather than Republican. Since I'm known for bashing Republicans before, I just felt I needed to point out that I don't automatically think all stupid ideas and decisions come from their side of the political battlefield.

Most of the time I'm being silly; so everyone takes me seriously.

I loved that comment so much!!!