“The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators such as PayPal from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for 10 such infringements within six months. The bill also gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement.”
We’re all for stopping the spread of copyright infringement. However, in its current iteration, the SOPA bill to pass through the U.S House on Wednesday January 18, 2012 is destructive to the very mechanism of the internet and will only benefit the super-wealthy. This is why we are pledging that you call your representative immediately to peacefully inform them that you are in opposition of this bill.
If passed, SOPA could see the end to not only being able to create with the internet what you want, when you want, but the bill will also likely affect other areas which are susceptible to content infringement. Such as music, image content, video streams, artwork and more. All without a court hearing or due process.
Some out there are still under the illusion that SOPA “doesn’t affect them”.
The long and short of it is — it likely will.
For example: Did you know that under SOPA the U.S government has the power to censor (and possibly even shut down) off-shore sites? – Not only that, but users who upload content considered worthy of “Copyright Infringement” to the internet are likely also going to feel the full force of the law under SOPA, as this excerpt taken from PC Gamer rightfully highlights:
For instance, a website hosting or streaming video from gamers could suffer not just an infringement notice against them to remove the content, but their advertising network being forced to cut ties. Their webhost could pull the plug, and any search engines that link to the content could be forced to delist them.
[...]
That’s the technicality. Here’s an example. A game publisher is unhappy that a player is streaming live play from a recent pro-game. The uploading and streaming of game footage is only allowable with the express consent of the copyright holder, and publishers routinely protect their copyright. Right now, publishers can easily get their content taken down from a site by filing an infringement notice, and sites are given “safe harbour” – a period of time to comply. Under SOPA, they could file against their host, their ad network, a search engine and expect compliance immediately.
Even worse, just linking to the infringed content under SOPA can have both the originating site which is found to be in copyright violation by the content publisher – (as well as your own site) – taken down. And that’s not good news for anyone, especially if you’re blatantly unaware that site being linked to contains this copyright infringement.
Of course, games are just the start. Hollywood movies, and editorial are likely to follow, as are a whole bunch of lawsuits, legal action and jail sentences on the little man. Put bluntly, SOPA is counter-active and needs re-addressing, re-reading and amending to find a happy medium (if there is one). If there isn’t a happy medium which will satisfy all parties involved, the bill should be scrapped.
As it is now – (if SOPA is passed) – you can kiss goodbye to internet freedom.
We as the people of the internet can stop this from happening. Now.
