So what are your thoughts about SOPA?

Bill · 2011-12-31, 03:19 AM

The netkultur geek in me knows it will be used for political and ideological repression.

But the dinky adult webmaster webmaster in me wonders if it might improve sales - which, if it does, may save some tiny remmnants of this business sector, the dinky home-based adult webmaster sector.

What do you think?

terry · 2011-12-31, 10:03 AM

What is SOPA?

Toby · 2011-12-31, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terry

What is SOPA?

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

It could be a powerful tool to significantly help reduce piracy. But, like any powerful tool it has high potential to be misused and abused.

Cleo · 2011-12-31, 12:15 PM

I'm with Bill on this. I think SOPA could be a good thing.

But as Toby mentioned it could be abused.

My thoughts on this is it is better to take a chance that it won’t be abused instead of doing nothing at all since piracy is out of control.

It's like that other law/power that was started this year. Can't remember what it is called but it allows the government to seize a domain. So far that doesn't seem to have been abused.

People are also pretty upset about NDAA...

flowersgone · 2011-12-31, 01:50 PM

I was persuaded to petition against it by Electronic Frontier Foundation position statements like this one https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/1...-sopa-and-pipa. I think the other law you were referring to may be the Protect IP act but since that isn't law yet AFAIK it also may not.

I guess I don't yet make enough money in the business to care about piracy but maybe that's one of the reasons I don't yet make much money here ... In any case I understand that media and intellectual piracy hurts people here and in other businesses I care about and am interested in ideas about stopping it.

Happy New Years everyone ...

tofu · 2012-01-05, 01:43 PM

Cleo is right, something needs to be done because collectively (save a select few), we are doing virtually nothing to slow the piracy.

I am, however, on the fence...

Pagan · 2012-01-05, 01:59 PM

Laws like this would be good...if they could apply to the entire world. Sadly, though the US has the majority of internet users, they are not the world and there is no border patrol to see what travels through the net. Part of that is what makes the internet so powerful. IF other countries would go along with it, great... if not... well then you have the farce that is the pedophile's dream... every country makes its own rules. I would love to see it stopped -- a lot of musicians and other artists are hurt bad by this.. why buy a CD when you can get it from Pirate Bay for free? I don't give it a snowball's chance of being enforced if it is passed.. sadly

Cleo · 2012-01-05, 05:59 PM

The US does control all the root servers so traffic can be turned off. There are ways around this it can be more difficult than what it is worth.

Just a bit scary at the power and potential for abuse that will be given.

flowersgone · 2012-01-05, 08:52 PM

I did a bit more fishing around the Electronic Frontier Foundation about the issue of piracy. They are not advocating doing nothing but seem to be tentatively going for some alternative legislation: the Online Protection & ENforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) which appears to be in the process of being chewed on by a congressional committee.

Some links about it are here:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/1...-open-internet
http://www.keepthewebopen.com/
And, of course Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEN_Act

Anyone want to enlighten me on which of OPEN and SOPA are better or worse?

fg

fetishbank · 2012-01-06, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pagan

Laws like this would be good...if they could apply to the entire world.

I agree with Pagan. It's no use until it is globally (quickly and easily) enforced.

Right now there are a huge amount of countries that do not provide any collaboration to foreign police to fight even more serious internet crimes. This list includes all the underdeveloped countries and many developed wannabe countries (Brazil to name one).

Useless · 2012-01-11, 08:41 PM

My WP dashboard has this link in the news from WP section. http://wordpress.org/news/2012/01/help-stop-sopa-pipa/

Maj. Stress · 2012-01-11, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cleo

The US does control all the root servers so traffic can be turned off. There are ways around this it can be more difficult than what it is worth.

Just a bit scary at the power and potential for abuse that will be given.

That is the biggest reason to shoot this down. We know those in power do abuse it too.

Pagan · 2012-01-12, 01:06 AM

If one fraction of the money wasted on this effort could have been turned to useful projects like health care and jobs, I would have been happier. This will only enrich the attorneys. It won't stop a thing just as all the other American efforts in the past. Piracy is in just about every industry, though... from cheap knockoffs in the apparel sector to CDs of all kinds duplicated and handed out. Perhaps if people could afford to buy the real product they would, and not resort to a rip-off.

ArtWilliams · 2012-01-12, 08:26 AM

We have the police to help protect our ourselves and our things so why not SOPA to safeguard our intellectual property? If you agree that theft is problem on the Internet then what is your solution?

Bill · 2012-01-12, 05:33 PM

Lol - the author of the SOPA bill turns out to be an IP violator - he took a CC photo without fulfilling the creative commons requirement.

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/12/con...e-sopa-is.html

PhoneMistress · 2012-01-12, 06:03 PM

So who else is going dark on January 18th besides reddit and Cheezburger?

Maj. Stress · 2012-01-12, 06:25 PM

Here is a video for some more info.
http://yoast.com/stop-sopa/

Pagan · 2012-01-13, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artwilliams

We have the police to help protect our ourselves and our things so why not SOPA to safeguard our intellectual property? If you agree that theft is problem on the Internet then what is your solution?

Police do a job within a physical jurisdiction, and enforce laws of local municipality. They do not have state-wide or national powers. Constables in Texas do, but that is an elected position. When you ask one body to enforce laws that cross state and national boundaries, you have a huge issue with enforcement. Tell me a country that is struggling hard like Greece cares one iota about anyone's intellectual property. They do not have the funding for a police force to enforce US laws. I am not picking on Greece, but they are in very serious financial difficulties right now along with a good number of other countries.

Who will fund this police force? The US? For everyone? Really? And how many billions of dollars will this cost the already overburdened US Taxpayer? It's a good idea, but it has not been well thought out except for the US part. There are other ways to make the files more difficult to upload or duplicate. I know it was done with DVDs not too long ago in the US. Some of the responsibility needs to come from the surfers, too.

ArtWilliams · 2012-01-13, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pagan

Police do a job within a physical jurisdiction, and enforce laws of local municipality. They do not have state-wide or national powers. Constables in Texas do, but that is an elected position. When you ask one body to enforce laws that cross state and national boundaries, you have a huge issue with enforcement. Tell me a country that is struggling hard like Greece cares one iota about anyone's intellectual property. They do not have the funding for a police force to enforce US laws. I am not picking on Greece, but they are in very serious financial difficulties right now along with a good number of other countries.

Who will fund this police force? The US? For everyone? Really? And how many billions of dollars will this cost the already overburdened US Taxpayer? It's a good idea, but it has not been well thought out except for the US part. There are other ways to make the files more difficult to upload or duplicate. I know it was done with DVDs not too long ago in the US. Some of the responsibility needs to come from the surfers, too.

Aaaah, you're missing the point. In our western society, if someone is stealing from you then you get the authorities to stop it. What is your plan to stop IP theft?

PhoneMistress · 2012-01-13, 10:15 AM

What are you talking about? We have laws on the books to prevent IP theft. This bill isn't about "us". Just about every tech guru has said that SOPA and PIPA is about an industry who never caught up with the rest of the world and how we interact. They should have an open conversation regarding the proposed law which as written gives immunity to the biggest offenders. Remember this was suppose to be quietly passed in both chambers at the end of last year.

ArtWilliams · 2012-01-13, 10:36 AM

Quote: