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There’s still some life in the Hollywood-backed proposals that would empower the government to block overseas websites that traffic in pirated content. But it seems to be ebbing fast: Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Misouri), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) dropped off the list of likely supporters of the Protect IP Act, which is due to come up for a vote in their chamber next week. They and other lawmakers backed away on a day when websites and individual protesters coordinated their attacks on the proposal, which they say could dangerously chill Web speech and commerce. Blunt, who co-sponsored the Protect IP Act, said on Facebook that it ”is flawed as it stands today, and I cannot support it moving forward.” Rubio, another co-sponsor, also used the social networking site to say that he has “decided to withdraw my support” while urging Majority Leader Harry Reid to ”abandon his plan to rush the bill to the floor” and “come up with new legislation that addresses Internet piracy while protecting free and open access to the Internet.” Meanwhile, Cornyn co-signed a letter to Reid saying that “the process at this point is moving too quickly,” making a planned vote next week ”premature.” Meanwhile in the House Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) withdrew as co-sponsors of a similar bill known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). That bill is due to be marked up by the House Judiciary Committee next month.
The lawmakers changed their views as hundreds of websites urged visitors to add their voices to the chorus of objectors. For example, Amazon is greeting shoppers with a link to find out “Reasons to oppose or modify SOPA.” Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg said on his site that the Web “is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can’t let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet’s development.” Protesters also took to the streets in Seattle, San Francisco, and New York which included a rally outside the offices of Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
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Strangely, for the first time after all these years, people are actually talking about stopping piracy. Sure, it’s mixed in with misinformation at times, but seeing “end piracy” trend on twitter for any reason was a shock.
Amazon and Apple have got to be the middlemen in this dispute. They are smart and respected by both sides, and both companies are legitimate vendors. (Amazon’s ‘greeting’ is a tiny sidebar, btw).
This post seemed to strike the right balance from where I sit. Just one creative person’s opinion. “Assault” and “fleeing” are appropriate. It is late in the game for people to realize that e-books are the next great drain via piracy, but the conversation is happening, so who knows. Perhaps Apple and Amazon will want to protect that digital frontier in order to reap the additional billions in profit over the next horizon. The cultural ignorance that piracy must end seems to be changing.
I still find it loathsome that disinformation about legislation has been the primary tool of Big Tech, but they rallied by whatever means necessary, to be sure.
The WH promised that a compromise bill will pass. That seemed lost in the shuffle somehow.
Dear Media Companies:
I’ve figured out how to stop online piracy. All you have to do is keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t adjust your business strategies in line with current and future technology. Continue to treat all your customers like criminals. Keep pumping out crap with artificially inflated prices that you could get away with before the Internet. And definitely buy off our government to enforce your will over the American public. If you continue these practices, you will all eventually go out of business. Then there will be nothing to pirate anymore. Congratulations. Great business model.
Pass all the laws you want congress. You fossils are so behind the lightning fast world of technology that you fail to realize you can’t control what other countries put up on the internet. There are many ways to subvert whatever stupid laws you pass regarding it. Pull your heads out sheeple.
From the time I discovered all the freebies on the net, from the puerile to the engaging, I knew it wouldn’t/couldn’t go on forever. In short we have always been living on borrowed time. As Churchill once said at the conclusion of, the battle of Britain, “while it may not be the beginning of the end it is certainly the end of the beginning”. This problem/concern has finally become THE issue of the internet which means one thing for sure, the wild west days of the internet are nearing their final days, within a couple years I’d say.
PIPA and SOPA aren’t really about “piracy”, they’re about censorship. The media kingpins who own and control the big news and entertainment companies want to be able to censor the Internet to maintain control of the ideas and facts that the masses see, so they can control the politics of the Western world. To hell with Murdoch and the rest. Let them offer their “product” to people without monopoly control over the information networks of the world. Let them compete without the helping hand of government censorship. If they can’t make it in a free world, they deserve to go out of business.
What we need to preserve are two things at least. The first being the use of the internet, aka web, to enable local, nationwide and worldwide COMMUNITY contributions. Summarizing, Paraphrasing and quoting sources while giving proper credit via in text citation, bibliographical references etc. does not violate any laws, is wonderful practice, contribution, and free volunteer labor, essentially non-fiction ghost-writing checked by the site. ( example Wikipedia) Personal advice from experience and data compilation and instructional videos have also enhanced our culture. Regarding media on youtube that may mix original creative work and an artists licensed material, proper credit should be given to that and all applicable laws would apply, though as an artist, I may consider the FREE advertising of fans. Many fans have the albums, books etc. already yet are looking to digitize in new ways.
Second and very important we need to preserve our ability to own our purchases, or in other words preserve our currency system. Whether a person pays for a paper book, CD album/ audiobook, or e-book / digital music you have swapped your time (work) for currency notes, currency (digital most likely) for product, one copy/license personal use. You are then allowed to (for physical product) : sell the item and receive currency, trade the item for non- monetary currency, donate the item, or toss it in a landfill (or recycle, not a way above.) For a clearer example yard sale, book swap, classified ad, donation to a library, giving your old CD to your sibling. 21st century, Android, IPOD, APPS, – Why can they TAKE our money but when we grow tired of our old music, ( okay most ppl may just keep that) we read the ebook /audiobook, finish the textbook & class, etc. it is just digital dollars in the trash? For that matter what about apps? How many times have you realized you did not / your child did not, like, need, want, the app you paid for – then you wanted a new one? Or maybe your Pre-K now needs first grade or you decided on French instead of Spanish. Perhaps you went from Apple to Android. IF -IF you can find someone for whom your trash is their treasure and vice
versa; why should that be prevented? Essentially you have changed your assets from liquid currency to vested interests, to product. Stating you may not liquify or trade your assets is like stating everyone with stocks, CDs, money market accts etc, may not cash those out and request the currency value of those stocks by selling them, or even trading for different stocks. While changes are coming in that market, no one would invest if there were no way to receive a dividend, to recoupe the cost.
Also given the work involved in this trade currency more people will still impulse buy known artists and authors. Unknowns will be discovered. Knowns will be recommended to many people. Rating systems and reviews will continue ( reviewers used to be PAID now that is free too) upside more real user reviews, downside, corps get away not hiring reviewers since we all contribute FOR FREE. It is global telecommuting volunteerism. In my humble honest opinion. F
Everything in the entertainment industry is about money. Making it, keeping as much of it as you can, etc. The entertainment industry hasn’t come up with the “perfect” model for squeezing money out of the Internet. Too much free stuff (news, TV shows, movies) going to the masses (and not the pirated stuff). Once they get Congress to pass laws to control the Internet for them, we’ll all start paying more money. They’re smart. They know people are leaving the cable companies in droves to get free/lower cost content from the Internet. They just need some congressional help to make more money off the web.