STOP SOPA NOW!

Couldn't agree more. Signed a petition yesterday.

WOW, yea this is nuts. I think it all started with BiTorrent, I spoke with the founder (was my godfather until i turned 18 and all) and he was telling me how much of a hard time he was having dealing with the PR and HR of many universities.

Some of that's true, Eddie, but the fact is that the US is the source of a lot of the world's ideas. And China keeps stealing them. Illegal copies of Windows 7 being used in China hurt our trade balance.

We do need to figure out a voluntary system where copyright and patent fees help subsidize keeping the most egregious foreign IP violators out of search results and links on major websites. I think that's a lot more fair for everybody.

I love pirating shit, but it is ultimately wrong and theft. I don't understand how people cannot understand that. The arguments are always some childish reasoning that because movie companies or book publishers make so much money stealing from them is ok. I suppose neither employ people in secondary or tertiary ways. So while I do not like the idea of the government being able to wholesale censor things, I also don't want to have an internet where people just steal information because it is easy to do.

Especially when you can watch movies on demand or Net Flix stuff for free.

Honestly, I would support SOPA if that meant Red-shit would shut down forever. Fucking hate that site.

Great post, signed petition

Edmundo Braverman:

how many 60-year olds do you let mess with your computer?

Press "esc" before the black out page loads. It will keep you on your desired wiki page.

I shot a letter to my representative saying don't support it. Did my little bit.

In all honesty though, even if this passed it would just stop the bulk of people from pirating stuff. More like a penalty on dumb people. There is an entire web that wants nothing to do with google or newsgroups that are thinly monitored. Pirating will go on, but you just cannot make it so simple middle aged people are doing it.

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ Link to Google's Petition.

Honestly I love alot of the stuff in this bill however I can not support anything that allows the government to obtain a open ended power. The problem I have is not the anti piracy measures, god knows I have delt with enough headaches due to interlectual theft of product development patents that my family business holds. I hate how this bill is open ended and gives unlimited power to a group of unelected government employees. The truely bullshit part of this bill is that it places unreasonable liablity on US tech companies for the actions of foregin criminal groups.

Any way you guys could take WSO and other sites off-shore if your law makers decide to take away your internet liberty?

I suppose if this passes in the US, there will be co-ordinated efforts by governments globally to pass similar legislation. I can easily see the US bully other countries through WTO and similar negotiations/organisations to comply. Though, I imagine most other governments won't need much convincing anyway.

This is a backdoor to more government control on how you connect with other Americans and people globally.

I think WSO is out of Argentina, isn't it?

I think WSO is out of Argentina, isn't it?

If SOPA goes through it wouldn't matter where the website is being hosted from as it would be blocked by U.S ISPs...Facebook and Google (2 biggest sites by users) should grow some balls and threaten to close down to US audience if these ridiculous bills go through.

So Wikipedia and Google are actively protesting...and Facebook and Twitter are resuming business like nothings happening..what a bunch of faggots

It's bills like this that make it crystal clear that Congress doesn't actually represent citizens at all. This shit needs to get destroyed.

http://vimeo.com/31100268

It seems someone edited my link and posted a link to the Batman trailer instead. Dick move, hence I re-posted the link.

signed Google's petition yesterday

If porn tube sites were blacked out, there would be rioting outside Capitol Hill

probably not smart to say anything about my downloading habits...

I got a Cease and Desist letter last time I downloaded music illegally.

That seemed to take care of the problem. I have never downloaded since.

Few things please me more than flipping the proverbial bird to my politicians. Signed the petition. I don't think that Wikipedia and Reddit are important enough to attract enough signers for this however. Imagine if Google, Facebook, or Twitter similarly blocked out. That would really raise people's ire.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/GokKUqLcvD8

I'll pay to watch that shit.

Ya know, an easy fix would be for the federal government to START by actively prosecuting large intellectual property offenders in this country. Ya know, enforcing the law. The 2nd thing it could do is try that little thing called diplomacy and work with other nations to shut down internet piracy, and use the carrot of foreign aid that we're probably giving them already. Instead of creating a draconian bureaucracy, use the time, financial resources and political capital to vigorously prosecute those who are "selling the drugs" at home and abroad. The tech firms could also do their part in trying to self-police a bit more vigorously and the old brick-and-mortars should try their best to adapt and monetize new technology.

At the end of the day, we should accept some level of internet piracy for the greater good of the freedom of the most powerful source of communication device of ideas and expression ever conceived by the human race.

A big problem is peer to peer sharing...not a few rogue "cartels." So no VT4EVER, there is no easy fix.

This is an opportunity for businesses to change their models. Offer shows online immediately, allow DVD downloads of movies to coincide with a movie leaving theaters, etc. Allow broadcasting rights to be looser to allow for online streams etc. & allow other countries to watch it. People are willing to pay for this shit (exception is music). Hollywood has just been slow to adapt to an emerging market.

The biggest problem with government is that they feel that HAVE to do something. The country would be better off, if the federal government met once a year for a week.

Great piece on the MPAA and that fuckwit Chris Dodd:

http://pandodaily.com/2012/01/18/assclowns/

Didn't the MPAA oppose the VCR originally too?

http://chrisdodd.com/

Who put this guy incharge of anything? That is a fucking horrible website.

While I am against SOPA/PIPA, it's amazing how few people understand how much Google had to lose if they pass. A huge percentage of their searches are "stream TV show/sport/movie X", and they stand to lose lots of ad revenue. I have little doubt that they exerted pressure on wikipedia/facebook/twitter/reddit etc., whereupon all the "cool people" took upon themselves to make it the cause de jeur, with little thought as to why it's a bad thing (particularly since they are so keen on government intervention on issues far more important that streaming How I met Your Mother). The impression people have that Google/Twitter etc. are some kind of white knight fighting for freedom is appalling - anyone who sees how much they spend lobbying can tell you it's all about the $$ and keeping those private jets in the air.

And by the way Eddie, your assertion that people won't/will limit there pirating because the content is available on itunes/kindle is absurd. Take it from someone who is actually in college (no offense dude, but you are closer to 60 than 20...), every single person I know torrents/streams, and I have never heard of people using itunes/kindle stores to buy anything. Why spend $1.29 per song or $10+ per book if you can get it for free and buy beer instead? On a side point, the first thing I ask people when they ask me about SOPA/PIPA is "Have you ever created anything of value?" 99% say no, which makes their opinion utterly useless. I then proceed to ask them how they would feel if they spent 6 months studying for the SAT, and then the guy next to you cheats off your test. Do you think it's ok to a) cover your paper with your hand immediately, or b) have to allow him to keep cheating until you file a complaint with the proctor? Think about it...it's definitely not a black and white as twitter/google/FB make it out to be...

Google says 4.5 million people signed anti-SOPA petition today

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2012/01/google-anti-sopa-pet…

The quality is fine. And the "they are shooting themselves in the foot by not changing their business model" that I see everywhere as a reason to justify pirating is absurd: if they want to run their business into the ground, that's their right and prerogative. It doesn't suddenly give you a right to punish them. That's like saying "EA will be out of business in five years for charging $60 per game and isn't adjusting to the times of $1 mobile games...let me go steal their stuff". You don't like their business model, start your own production company and put them out of business legally.

What Congress should do is invite the large tech and web companies in to consult on how to fight internet piracy. The tech companies have seen what the alernative to doing nothing is, so they should get together with Congress and put a game plan together for effectively, constitutionally, and sanely battling this epidemic. I'm a conservative Republican but at the end of the day the rule of law is an equally valid principle as freedom of speech, and wanton, wide-scale theft of intellectual property is a clear violation of the rule of law.

Why would Google, Yahoo, etc. decide to engage in that excercise for any reason other than looking the part? They have already proven that any attempt to harm their respective businesses will be crushed by the masses. All that trying to 'prevent this epidemic from continuing' would do is add to their costs with no meaningful benefit to them and their customers, etc. don't care.

Happy, Congress can be intimidated. Wait until a bureaucratic body steps in to regulate internet piracy. There is no bureaucracy that can be threatened by the electorate. It would be in the tech firm's best interests to do something voluntarily before the EU regulatory body or the California regulatory body or the federal bureaucracy does.

Ignore the source, read the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/us/white-house-says-it-opposes-parts-…

Maybe internet and technology companies don't want to play the Washington DC game... yet. i.e. they don't want to have to cosy up to old law makers and start acting like every other large american corporation because the costs of giving the government too much control over their industry as it grows outweighs the benefits of having congressmen/senators in their pockets.

I can see why law makers are pissed off. They can't scare internet corporations to support their election campaigns and they can't tell citizens what to do on the internet... yet.

"yet" is case in point. The tech firms would be smart to nip it in the bud and VOLUNTARILY submit to action against internet piracy where they are the chief consultants to Congress. Instead, if they sit back and wait God knows what the un-elected bureuacracy will do at the FCC, DOJ, etc. God knows what the European Union will do or what California will do. Remember, California is such an enormous market that it's regulations go a long way in influencing national policy.

Edit: worse--God knows what the courts will rule when a lawsuit comes before them from an offended party.

Edmundo Braverman:

By now many of you have discovered that Wikipedia is blacked out today (I'm sure some of you with homework due are panicking right now). You are watching history in the making: a battle between old, entrenched, monopolistic conglomerates and vibrant young tech-savvy entrepreneurs. How it all plays out has much to do with how the Internet will exist from this point forward.

Many of you have asked me over the past few days what the deal is with my new Avatar that says "STOP SOPA". SOPA, and it's sister Senate legislation PIPA, are bills going through Congress that will grant the power to shut down websites for copyright infringement without notice. The most chilling aspect of the legislation is that it makes community sites like WallStreetOasis responsible for the behavior of each individual member. In other words, WSO could be shut down forever if an anonymous user posts a link to a PDF copy of an investing book or a clip from the movie Margin Call.

The average age of Congress is 60. A little older on the Senate side than the House side, but call it 60. Now I ask you: how many 60-year olds do you let mess with your computer? In this particular case, these bill weren't presented based on their merit; they've simply been put forward because Congress's corporate paymasters in the recording, publishing, and motion picture industries are insisting on it. Let me ask you this: how many people do you know that make a habit of downloading music illegally if it's available on iTunes or Amazon? Likewise, how many people do you know make a habit of downloading PDF copies of books, especially those available in eBook format on Amazon or other sites?

As an author, I'm especially sensitive to copyright infringement, but if there are bogus copies of the stuff I've written flying around out there I don't know about it. I have more trouble with legitimate publishers bogarting my stuff than I do with piracy.

These bills are all about these ancient industries refusing to innovate and meet consumer demand. Why would you sell individual songs for 99 cents when you can force a consumer to pay $16 for the whole CD? Well, how did that attitude work out for the recording industry?

The publishing industry is reeling right now, and it isn't because people are downloading free copies of Sidney Sheldon novels. It's because traditional publishers refuse to accept the new realities of the world we live in. Perhaps the best article I've read about this recently is James Altucher's explanation of why he self-publishes now. To sum it up, he received an advance of $80-100,000 for a book that sold less than 1,700 copies at $20 apiece. Do the math. The old publishing model is unsustainable, and a lot of people are going to be out of work.

So now Congress, populated by old white crony capitalists, is making a naked power grab to be able to shut down the Internet at their discretion. Are you tired of getting screwed by old people who "don't get it" yet? If so, it's time to do something about it.

Click on the following link and input your zip code. Then contact your representatives to let them know you oppose this draconian takeover and assault on free speech:

https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/SOPA/Blackoutpage

It's easier to do nothing, and they're counting on that. But if you think the future of the Internet should be free from government interference on behalf of the corporations who pay them off, you'd better do something.

WSO might just depend on it.

You gotta love this Eddie...

http://gawker.com/5877415/jon-stewart-has-some-harsh-words-for-sopa-and…

Just to address a couple points: 1. Tech companies are more than happy to play the Washington DC game, and are some of the biggest players currently in that game. 2. Google et al will never voluntarily stop piracy. That would be like Goldman Sachs voluntarily setting aside extra voluntary reserves. Never gonna happen. Trust me, if they wanted to they could easily develop technology that would scan for piracy before upload. But they won't unless forced to do so, which is where the punitive threat of having your whole website shut down is necessary. 3. One thing to take out from this whole mess is that tech is MORE POWERFUL than the government, since they can sway enormous amounts of people to hold whatever opinion they want them to hold, and make those views known to their elected politicians. Lord knows how many people parroted the wikipedia/google-fed line to some poor staffer at their congressman's office yesterday. 4. Make no mistake, I do not support SOPA. Not because I against internet intervention, but because I am against almost all government intervention beyond what is necessary for public safety. That having been said, there does need to be some intervention from a law enforcement standpoint on this issue. Intellectual property deserves the same protection as physical property. Sites like Megavideo/PutLocker etc. are made up entirely of pirated movies/TV shows and should be shut down by law enforcement. End of story. 5. The "We will pirate anyway" argument is absurd and mind-boggling. That you would take part in an illegal action regardless of the law is not a reason to avoid making those laws in the first place, particularly when the issue at hand is a clear case of theft. Trust me, if they tracked ISPs and enforced a fine/jail limit for pirating/streaming, you wouldn't do it, for the same reason you don't shoplift candy bars from your 7-11.

Can someone explain to my why TV shows are a big deal? I understand why movie pirating costs the industry money, but TV shows are broadcast for free. Hoping someone can clear this up for me. I've never understood why free TV shows (I'm not talking premium subscription stuff) would be considered pirating when most of the networks put them up on their websites for free the next day anyway?

I agree with most of what you're saying, but there are industries/professions that self-regulate. For example, CPAs are largely self-regulated, lawyers are largely self-regulated, and Realtors and real estate agents are largely self regulated. I think even engineers and doctors are mostly self-regulated. I'm not sure if Google in particular will ever agree to self-regulation, but the point is they'd better throw a bone to someone because it's coming. They clearly won the opening battle, but where Congress doesn't proceed the bureaucracy very well may proceed (such as the FCC with net neutrality, the EPA with cap and trade, NLRB with right to work).

If fewer people watch the show on TV because they are watching it by pirating it 'illegally', the number of viewers would decrease so the amount they could charge for advertising would decrease as well.

Super Bowl commericals cost so much because of high viewership numbers, for example.

If you stream it for free, there are still adds either before, after or during in most cases unless you pirate it hence the issue

Yeah if you use Hulu there are ads but a simple google search for 'XYZ season # free online" will take care of that.

In other news Megauplod got taken out today by the feds.

Yup. Megaupload shut down by the feds, founder arrested:

http://techland.time.com/2012/01/19/feds-shut-down-megaupload-com-file-…