SOPA: Stop Online Piracy Act

[Alphanumeric]

"To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes." —H.R. 3261

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill expands the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.[2] Now before the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

The PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011; United States Senate Bill S.968) is a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to "rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods", especially those registered outside the U.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_IP_Act

Stop SOPA has been all over the net, if you haven't come across it yet. Reddit seems to be at the forefront of addressing the concerns the bill raises, with threatening a blackout pretty soon. Facebook and Google are being urged to take a stand as well. I laugh.

Censoring the internet is, well, impossible. Until something like this is pushed through, that is. I wonder what will happen?

[qoraxeey]

[Keyblade]

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especially those registered outside the U.S.

This also makes me wander what's in store.

This is already occurring of course, I won't be naive enough to deny that. But, make it legally enforceable?

[Coeus]

This shit would never fly in Sweden. We have the PIRATE political party & this country created Piratebay

[Alphanumeric]

The legislation — two similar bills pending in the House and Senate — would empower the Department of Justice and copyright holders to shut down websites that violate intellectual property or sell counterfeit goods. A range of U.S. businesses and their trade groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, pharmaceutical and media companies and publishers, say it would lead to more jobs and revenues and promote consumer safety.

Opponents, including large and small Internet companies and First Amendment advocates, argue that it would stifle innovation and lead to censorship. Here are key issues to consider:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story ... 52623914/1

[Saraxnow]

The legislation — two similar bills pending in the House and Senate — would empower the Department of Justice and copyright holders to shut down websites that violate intellectual property or sell counterfeit goods. A range of U.S. businesses and their trade groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, pharmaceutical and media companies and publishers, say it would lead to more jobs and revenues and promote consumer safety.

Opponents, including large and small Internet companies and First Amendment advocates, argue that it would stifle innovation and lead to censorship. Here are key issues to consider:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story ... 52623914/1

Oh well.

[gedo_gurl]

America, acting like a bunch of bastards again. England, being dummies will copy this...people, being sheep will only talk about 'how much safer it is on the internet these days'...I would take anyone who is afraid of the internet and show them real fear.

[HilaacHills]

This shit would never fly in Sweden. We have the PIRATE political party & this country created Piratebay

I second this.

[Alphanumeric]

^No you won't. Not when Piratebay and anything related to Assange is continuously attacked.

[HilaacHills]

^No you won't. Not when Piratebay and anything related to Assange is continuously attacked.

They can try all they want, but if the human race is good for one thing; it is being able to do anything they want lol. Long live TPB!
Seriously though, yeah, you're right, it's hard to believe in this day and age governments still try to put of the futile effort of trying to censor internet.

[Alphanumeric]

LOL @ in this day and age. Are you serious?

[HilaacHills]

LOL @ in this day and age. Are you serious?

Umm. Yeah

[FAH1223]

REJECT SOPA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOPA

Call your elected officials.

Tell them you are their constituent, and you oppose SOPA and PIPA.
Why?

SOPA and PIPA cripple the free and open internet. They put the onus on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the blocking of entire sites, even if the links are not to infringing material. Small sites will not have the sufficient resources to mount a legal challenge. Without opposition, large media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for small competing foreign sites, even if big media are wrong. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines.

In a post SOPA/PIPA world, Wikipedia --and many other useful informational sites-- cannot survive in a world where politicians regulate the Internet based on the influence of big money in Washington. It represents a framework for future restrictions and suppression. Congress says it's trying to protect the rights of copyright owners, but the "cure" that SOPA and PIPA represent is much more destructive than the disease they are trying to fix.

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Google's followed suit with Wiki. Facebook, has yet to move.