Opinions on the Stop Online Piracy Act SOPA

Family & Parenting Social Media
1

The Stop Online Piracy Act has been all the talk in our house for several weeks. (My husband is a Network Security Engineer/Developer.)

I’m curious what your thoughts are. Do you know exactly what the bill does?

For those of you that don’t know, the very short version of it is this: the bill would give the right to an artist, or anyone, to shut down a website if they feel that their rights are being infringed upon. (ie if a recording artist thinks his/her music is being ripped off, if a painter thinks one of his pictures is being used illegally, etc) Then, when the government gets around to it, they will investigate and either keep the website shut down, or allow it to reopen. They can do this without a warrant or any other court order.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think there should be more “policing” and censoring of the internet?

ETA: Here’s a link so you can read more about it: 'Wikipedia Blackout,' SOPA and PIPA Explained - ABC News

2

I think instead of shutting it down, there should have to go through the gov’t first. The owner of the website should have the ability to defend themselves before they lose their website, or content. It could be very costly to a company to have their website shut down until the gov’t gets around to investigating it. It may be a missunderstanding and not an intentional act on the business/webpage owners part.

3

I think the idea is ludicrous. Bring down Google or Wikipedia, Facebook, YouTube or Mamapedia because a person writes the wrong thing? Right now, we do a lot of self-policing. Sites have moderators checking and checking. When something is reported, the post gets altered or deleted.

Admittedly, it can be FRUSTRATING that SOME sites are not like that. I found something I wrote for one site (in a professional capacity), verbatim posted on another site, complete with an error that had been added later. I was furious. That site had no contact button, report button, etc. I would have to JOIN it to even say something about it. I felt so powerless!!

So I “get” the idea behind the law, but I STILL think the law itself is not well thought-out.

http://americancensorship.org/infographic.html

4

I think it’s fairly unenforceable.
What they are talking about would take SO much manpower both in the blocking, flagging sites and in law enforcement (and lawyers).
And a US law does nothing to combat piracy in sites from other countries which is where the main problem exists as I understand it.
You could pass a law that revokes gravity but that doesn’t mean everything is going to suddenly float off the ground.
Artists need to ramp up their contracts where they spell out how they are paid and how their work is released.
Once the horse is out of the barn, there’s no point in trying to lock the barn up after the fact.
I’m still learning about the issues involved so my understanding at this point may not be complete.

5

I think the government needs to worry about important things and stay out of the internet. Government is not the be all and end all. Keep the government out of it.
LBC

6

Shutting down a web site because of an accusation of wrong doing would be like getting a speeding ticket (accusation of wrong doing) and the government automaticly assuming you will flee and not appear in court so instead of giving you a ticket, the officer arrests you and puts you in jail until your trial. No bail allowed.

This is nothing more than “Guilty until proven innocent”, a definate violation of our constitution.

Obama could have vetoed this. Another reason I just “love” Obama.

Good luck to you and yours.

7

Let me put it this way: If our government REALLY wanted to do something about infringement we would go after one of the major infringers - CHINA. How likely is that to happen, when China owns so much of our debt?

IMHO SOPA is the first (giant) step in filtering what we can read on the internet. If we don’t beat this back now we are a bunch of spineless idiots not worthy of the freedom our ancestors fought and died for.

I am absolutely in favor of protecting intellectual property - SOPA is not the way to do it though.

It’s disgusting and wrong. We need to stop being sheeple for the corporate fascists who dominate this country and our leaders. And no, I’m not talking about small and medium businesses. I’m talking Big Defense, Pharma, Insurance and Oil. Big Entertainment (the supporters of SOPA) are just useful idiots for these other entities. Bread and circus for the masses . . . while the others rob us BLIND.

JMO.

8

My thoughts are NO…I realize that artists are taken advantage of and lose intellectual property…but this is NOT the way to go about doing it.

The courts are backed up as it is…when and who is going to investigate each and everyone of these claims??

You should have to use the current legal system…a court order or warrant…not just at the whim of any tom, dick or harry (harriet)…

9

Considering the government doesn’t seem to have a clue about technology they should just stay the hell out or educate themselves.

I think the biggest issue is the internet via message boards and the like are used by normal people for communication. Just because it can be seen by all doesn’t change this dynamic. So I see this picture and want to share it with my friend. If I mailed it it wouldn’t be an issue, if I email it it wouldn’t be an issue but because I post in on my blog so all my friends can see it it suddenly becomes piracy? I don’t think so.

The laws need to evolve with the technology not the other way around.

10

Piracy is a word they use to mislead people…When you think piracy the first thing you think is ‘‘stolen music’’ or something else ‘‘stolen’’ via the web…

What they minus to leave out is that the word Piracy in their terms means ‘‘anything WE see fit or do not like’’..

Did you know the creator’s of the bill were being pushed from the very people who helped build the Web. Here are SOME of the Companies that now BACK the censorship bill…and these are only a few…Apple, Microsoft, Adobe,News Corp, RIAA, MPAA, Nike, Sony, Comcast, VISA & others want to make that world your reality<------found a few more that back SOPA, after posting this.

They have run out of reason’s to arrest people off the street so they are coming after what we say, think and feel on the internet.

I think that if they want to try and’‘pass’’ shady and unneeded BILLS trying to to have us notice when they happen(LIKE NDAA)…they need to find a village full of idiots to try and Police. Because here in America…We have the right to say, think and feel whatever the hell we want to wherever the hell we want to. As long as it is not hurting anyone directly…Period.

SOPA,PIPA(which is something tagging along after SOPA)and NDAA are the Gov’t trying to remove every right we have been so proud about our whole existence.

Remember PIRACY used to equal STEALING.

NOW PIRACY ='s Saying, adding or thinking something someone on the other side of the screen does not like…SO it can be removed…and you can get in trouble.

I was going to black out my computer for the day as well…I have alot of work to get done though for Occupy Federal Way …so sadly I can not black out as well.

In my heart though I am cheering for all of the people and companies that are Blacking out. Because they are doing it for me and you. so we do not loose our voices.

I am an artist
I am AGAINST SOPA
I am also against invasive Gov’t trying to change the definition of words to better suit what they want to sound like.

something is going to have to sink in with people when we start seeing our rights being taken away…How many more do they have to take…before enough of us get outraged and do something to STOP them?

He could have vetoed it…I will agree. Just as he could have Vetoed NDAA…

I ask this every time I see something about any of this ‘‘new’’ stuff being passed overwhelmingly. We can not agree on anything in congress…until is is to drastically change something we have been signing into law for decades now…Why did they wordage have to be changed SO much…to be allowed to indefinitely detain Citizens without trial now…because they feel it is something that needed to be in there…excuse me…BUT NO! Yet this is what the congress that can not get along overwhelmingly passed…they baffle me on what they can agree on!

Off my soap box…I swear I am done

http://www.reddit.com/…

Here is the Link to take the stand against SOPA…Fill out the quick thing then hit send..and you are done!

11

I honestly don’t have an opinion about SOPA, but I am angry that congress is dealing with it! They can’t seem to balance the budget, help the economy, find more money for education, or do a million other things that are far more important to the United States, but they are going to police the Internet. Really?!?!?!?

12

I don’t like this bill. It’s right up there with the Patriot Act in my book. Ridiculous government overreach. $h!tting on our right to privacy and personal freedoms.

However, the internet is like the wild wild west with no Sherriff. There’s no other form of media that goes totally unchecked. Imagine if there were no FCC regulating tv and radio? The most dangerous thing on tv or radio is bad language, sexualy and violently explicit images. There is that…and SO MUCH MORE on the internet.

Online commerce isn’t regulated, content isn’t regulated, trade agreements and import restrictions aren’t enforced. How is it something bought online doesn’t have to meet the same standards and pay the same taxes as something bought in a brick and mortar store?

I’m a strict constitutionalist. I believe in protecting our rights and freedoms. The internet is not a right. It’s unregulated media, pure and simple. It’s a lawless place where bandits run rampant with no fear of repurcussions. I don’t mean 13 yr old kids downloading music. I mean the gambling sites, the supplement and diet pill guys, the child porn people, the sex trafficking people.

We don’t need THIS law, but we need some regulation. At least this is getting the dialogue started.

13

I think the person should have a place to be heard but in all honesty it could become a revenge place. If person A got mad at person B and “shut their sites down” then every place on the internet is subject to being shut down.

For example. My sister has an Etsy shop. Her daughter has several friends that do similar outfits and sell them online. My sister has seen several outfits for sale on her daughters friends etsy stores that are nearly duplicates of clothing she has made and given to her granddaughter to wear or that she has on her site. They also have said my sister has copied their styles. The fact is that everyone is making similar things right now due to the movies that are coming out, the styles that are popular, etc…if this bill were to pass each day you or I went to etsy to shop it would be closed down due to people randomly having too much authority and shutting down others websites.

Also, any website that has anything on it that relates to a University or College would be shut down every day. OU has “spies” that go to all the resale shops (Used clothes for sale) and craft shops in the Norman, Tuttle, Blanchard, Newcastle, and the Moore Oklahoma areas that will fine and close a business down for copyright infringement if there is one item inside for sale that has any type OU emblem or reference on it.

My sister got a call from a consignment store owner who had some of my sisters grand-kids clothes on consignment, used clothes. Another store owner had called this lady and she had been fined a few thousand dollars and had to close her doors until every piece of clothing that had OU on it, even old tee shirts or scarves/hats for winter, every item had to be removed. She started calling all the other shops out in that area and they started going through all the clothes and pulling everything that had OU on it. There were a couple of them that did not get it all pulled before the spies showed up that week. It is sad that even though they got the royalties when the garment was first purchased they also wanted royalties to be paid on each consecutive sale too. That is just too wrong. Once a person buys a fabric it is the same thing. My sister had made some winter hat and scarf sets out of OU fleece and she had to take them off the market. She bought the fabric, part of that money went to OU for their copyright. She should be able to do what she wants with the fabric but she can’t.

This bill gives too many people too much authority that effects way too many people. I would say no way, no how, never.

I am all for less government interference with my life and how I choose to live it within the walls of my own home.

If I was selling off copies of Celebrities home videos then of course that should be stopped but they need to have a better way of submitting complaints and follow up actions.

14

I just responded to another post about this and just cut and pasted what I said below. Here’s the deal, the way you state it it sounds like the average person would be the one initiating shutting down a site. I don’t think the real threat is an individual or small business person, I’m sure the process of shutting down a site would cost a bit of money and time. The law was not written or passed for the little guy who feels their being ripped off. It gives more scary control to large corporations, the ones who wrote and lobbied for it.

Here’s what I wrote in the other post…
It’s not going to change overnight but it’s a huge threat to a open, free internet. It gives corporations the right to demand that wesites be shut down for what they claim is piracy without any due process or judicial ruling. Very scary in that again we are handing over more power to private companies to control our lives.

The internet is a great “leveler” it allows a single person without much money to connect, share ideas, profit and educate millions of people worldwide. That’s threatening to anyone in power. Look at the uprisings going on in the Middle East. The Arab Spring would not have been possible without a open, free world wide web.

I compare it to the recently passed dention bill (NDAA). It gives way too much power to a very small group of people. Basically more poswer to the government and the 1% who make the rules. As long as you agree with who calls the shots it’s fine, the minute you don’t we are creeping ever closer to facisim.
I find it all pretty scary.

15

It scares me.
Giving power like that is scary.

Once you open it up to interpretation by who? anyone? a “special” committee.
It can’t be good.

16

I did not read the link. But if I am understanding you correctly the public will simply be able to report the copyright fraud??? Then the govenrment will look into it. Simply being tattle tales? I love it! I actually caught someone selling an item on etsy but the image was from another blog I read. I reported it to the origional photographer and told the etsy store what they were doing. It took awhile for the etsy store to figure out I was not the photrgrapher nor the person she was introuble with. she seemed hard headed.

Another person contaced me and infromed me that my very own product was being copied! My things are copywritten and this is how i help support my family. Yes copy cats should be reported, investigated properly and then delt with. While I feel you should get a lawyer instead of the government…wrong things should be wrighted!