As I suspect most of my visitors today realize, a number of major web sites have shut down (Wikipedia) or otherwise altered their sites (Google) for the day to protest the so-called "Stop Online Piracy Act," or SOPA.
This site isn't a major web site (I wish!), but I do feel it necessary to go off-topic for this post just to say that I wholeheartedly agree with the critics who want to see a more reasoned, less entertainment-industry dictated bill.
Look, I'm a writer, and I both respect and (for many years) have lived by copyright. But there are ways to protect copyrights and fight offshore pirate websites without essentially destroying the Internet, which is what many critics warn will happen if SOPA (or its senate equivalent, PIPA) becomes law.
Please check out this excellent FAQ from CNET to find out what's at stake and how these proposed laws could affect you. And please join us in petitioning your senators and congressperson - respectfully - to throw out these disasters and come up with legislation that will protect copyrights while also preserving the rights of all Internet providers and users. Thank you.
I hope you'll take a moment and go to Google to sign a petition asking Congress to vote against both SOPA and PIPA. https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
Posted by: Les Blatt | January 18, 2012 at 09:17 AM
Les - As far as stopping government from shutting down websites, it may already be too late:
http://stkarnick.com/culture/2012/01/21/a-megadownload/
Posted by: Mike Tooney | January 21, 2012 at 01:41 PM
Mike, there's a huge conversation underway online today about the shutdown of megaupload.com - more details (in addition to Karnick's post) and a good deal of background at http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/why-the-feds-smashed-megaupload.ars
Posted by: Les Blatt | January 21, 2012 at 02:14 PM
Les - The "huge conversation" you mention has been going on for a LONG time. What is "intellectual property" (as opposed to "REAL property"), and does it even actually exist? Taking it to the Supreme Court (a federal entity) might prolong the conversation, but whatever the The Nine decide will never settle the controversy to everyone's satisfaction.
Posted by: Mike Tooney | January 21, 2012 at 03:18 PM
Mike - I was referring only to yesterday's megaupload shutdown. The larger conversation, as you say, has been going on for a very long time. As you know, the MPAA and RIAA, who are behind much of the push about "piracy," are - in my opinion, anyway - far more concerned with their own profits than with the well-being of their artists, the actual content creators. But that's arguable, to be sure. As I said in my post, I've made a living from copyrightable (real word?) material, but I am most uncomfortable with the approach being urged on Congress - a group whose technical knowhow fails to impress me.
Posted by: Les Blatt | January 21, 2012 at 03:39 PM