SOPA - Your thoughts?

Has anyone been following the SOPA debates?
Basically all the talk about what it's going to do to the internet as we know it?

The music, movie, television industries are all backing SOPA, claiming it's to protect their interests.

Google is against it (as are many other internet biggies), saying it will put too much censorship on the web.

If it goes through, many of the post on this forum WILL be affected...since members here like to post videos, photos, etc. that they extract from other websites. According to the SOPA rules...that will be prohibited...or the forum host will be sanctioned...so you can bet they won't keep allowing these things if it means their money on the line.

And with the shutdown/arrests with megaupload.com...it can show the conglomerate power of enforcement, considering raids and arrests were made in several countries at once, just to shut down a website.

And...keep in mind this other little tidbit:
Under SOPA, you could get 5 years for uploading a Michael Jackson song. That's one year MORE than the doctor who KILLED HIM!

Your thoughts?

I think it's too complex an issue for people to separate the fear mongering from the truth. People want to believe it must be reasonable but when they hear how far reaching it could be, they don't know what to believe.

What they need is to understand some independent analysis from credible sources.

Until that happens, few will weigh in with their opinion. I could be wrong.

Ya. I pretty much agree.

Seems to me that one side wants unlimited use of everything on the interweb, while others want to respect the laws governing copyright.

Seems now that many people think everything on the web is free for them to use. I got news for them.

It's not that I want everything on the web to be free...

However if I make a video of my children playing in the living room after opening their xmas presents, and there is a song on the radio, or they are watching a video on the TV, and I post that video of my children playing online for their grandparents to see, I don't believe that large copyright owners should be taking that content down or litigating due to copyright infringement. But under this legislation, they can, and will.

People seem to forget, this issue is not black and white, it's many shades of grey. The devil is in the details, and there are a lot of details at play.

Not only that, but the legislation isn't needed. Evidence of that came the day following the online protest, when the US Feds took down megaupload. They demonstrated that the existing legislation and tactics are already functioning perfectly fine.

IMO, my internet ISP has no business tracking and logging what I do or where I visit on the internet without a warrant. That's no different than the long gun registry. Punish the masses for the few's sins.

It's those shades of grey that will make this issue most contentious. And interesting.

However if I make a video of my children playing in the living room after opening their xmas presents, and there is a song on the radio, or they are watching a video on the TV, and I post that video of my children playing online for their grandparents to see, I don't believe that large copyright owners should be taking that content down or litigating due to copyright infringement. But under this legislation, they can, and will.

I very much doubt that they would give a single thought to you. I think they are concerned with big fish.

Although I don't know the details behind this thing, I reckon it has some under currents tied to espionage and the Chinese....but that's just me.

umm.. they are already doing crap to little people like that.

Only the ones downloading extraordinary amounts of copy-written material I thought.

nope. Not in the USA, AND to make matters worse the Americans are already going after people internationally for stuff. AND some judges are even granting them extradition rights when the supposed crime is not even a crime in their own country.

In a recent UK case a guy who only had a aggregate page set up.. ie linking to other peoples pages... the US is somehow extraditing him for prosecution even though its not a crime in the UK to do what he is doing.

Hmmmm...shades of the Marc Emery nonsense eh?

I can see why people are upset.

I think even worse them Marc Emery. For Mr Emery he KNOWINGLY violated the law of the USA on US soil.

If a server on the internet is merely able to be navigated to by someone from the USA...but is housed in another country.... that is really out there. But what country will stand up the the USA?

SOPA would accord rights to law enforcers that are MUCH too far reaching. Existing practices are already questionable.

I think we need to start discussing how copyright law has (or hasn't) evolved in light of new technology, as well as how media, entertainment, and other creative industries that use copyright could be revolutionizing the distribution of their work. SOPA is reactionary. What could we do to give people what they want while protecting the intellectual and creative work of this generation and onwards?

"Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small...We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet."

White House technology officials Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt.

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

The OPEN Act has been proposed now.

When the content owners figure out a way to deliver their content to the masses in a way that isn't expensive, and still profitable for the creators then most piracy will wither away and die. Services like iTunes, and Netflix can provide what people want, just don't rape them at the pocket and watch piracy go away.

It is unfortunate that we have the CRTC blocking content, Netflix here in Canada would be so much better. One day.

Absolutely. Recognize the cost benefit the internet offers and charge accordingly. Most (not all) people will pay a competitive price and won't but from pirates.

hehe but pirates

Ummm, buy...

Hopefully the government will create a lot of jobs trying to control the internet!

Just how would they manage that?

Stonekiller wrote:When the content owners figure out a way to deliver their content to the masses in a way that isn't expensive, and still profitable for the creators then most piracy will wither away and die. Services like iTunes, and Netflix can provide what people want, just don't rape them at the pocket and watch piracy go away.

It is unfortunate that we have the CRTC blocking content, Netflix here in Canada would be so much better. One day.

I did not know content was blocked. What do the Yanks get that we don't?

an enormous bit of content

yeah...netflix canada is about 1/10th the size of selection as netflix US.

plus there's commercials & programming down there you can't get here...just look at the superbowl commercials as a prime example.

or try going to cbs.com or nbc.com and try watching some "full episodes" of certain shows...you'll get a "this is not available in your area" message.

plus...they have cheese in a can

AGEsAces wrote:yeah...netflix canada is about 1/10th the size of selection as netflix US.

plus there's commercials & programming down there you can't get here...just look at the superbowl commercials as a prime example.

or try going to cbs.com or nbc.com and try watching some "full episodes" of certain shows...you'll get a "this is not available in your area" message.

plus...they have cheese in a can

I check out Superbowl commercials on you tube. Awesome!

I go to FX.com to watch Son's of Anarchy. Love that show

Son's of Anarchy is carried on a Shaw channel (can't recall which one). I taped the last two seasons.

It's a biker soap opera. Interesting concept.

Heh...is there singing and dancing?