SOPA and PIPA - We're Back

Amin

Hall of Famer
I made an exception to the "no politics" rule here at S.C. to participate in the internet blackout today and start a discussion because SOPA and PIPA threaten the existence of the free internet and sites such as ours.

Here's a brief theoretical example of how this legislation would work: SeriousCompacts.com is hosted in the UK, and one of our members posted a copyrighted image from Getty in our forums without permission. Getty Images requests that access to our UK server is blocked, and bam: No more access for US members to Mu-43.com.

SOPA and PIPA would put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the blocking of whole sites. Making matters worse, there would be no penalty for a false accusation, so in the example above, Getty wouldn't even have to be correct to get us taken down. Big media corporations could (and would) use a "shotgun approach" to remove our access to any sites which they perceived as even a small detriment to their corporate profits, and small sites like ours wouldn't have the resources to defend themselves.

Congress is planning to resume hearings about this legislation soon, and the time for you to be heard is now. Learn more about this dangerous legislation and what you can do to help at Stop American Censorship — a campaign from Fight for the Future.

This topic is now open for discussion. Lets all take extra care to be courteous to others in the discussion regardless of their stance on this matter and avoid going off topic into politics which are unrelated to this issue.
 
A good explanation of SOPA by Sal Khan:

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There may be a case for better protection of copyright etc. But there is no excuse for poorly written legislation, and poorly written legislation that threatens freedom of speech and exchange of ideas is just wrong.
 
They are Barmy - but that's not unusual for one from the political tribe

They will never get away with it - it is unworkable - leave them be they will vanish up their own fundamental orifice quite soon

Murdoch and the US do not own the internet
 
Hollywood and the music industry making the law again. The fines and jail time are what make the file sharing deal ridiculous to me. The fines they levy sometimes are more than a normal person will make in several lifetimes. Brad Pitt and Mick Jagger are still riding around in their Lamborghini cars so I really don't get it other than incredible greed. George Carlin said it perfectly years ago before he died.

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Thanks texas - says it all

"It's the same the whole world over............

It's the rich that gets the pleasure and the poor what gets the blame...

..............etc., etc."

and old English folk song
 
I knew the latitude that SOPA would cover thus I opposed it vehemently. Really any site we belong to as group or forum members, or even social networking sites, could be shut down due to one offender. To me that offender should be prosecuted themselves, but not a community of innocent people nor the host by shutting everything down. I wasn't in country but I did hear about several sites shutting down and I am glad you participated Amin. Even if it was a bit.. political.
 
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