SOPA/PIPA & The Internet: To Free or Not to Free!
If you have watched the news, picked up a newspaper or done any form of web surfing in the last week or so then you have at least heard about the recent online battle that caused a major outcry across the internet recently. The topic at the center of this controversy is pending legislation, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) to halt online piracy. Basically the purpose is to end pirated music and movie activity. Initially, many ask the question of why would anyone fight against efforts to stop the illegal sale and distribution of copyrighted material. The problem wasn’t stopping this activity but rather the method Congress intended to take in order to accomplish this task that caused the stir.
The first problem was the way in which the legislation was funded. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) banded together with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and raised $94 million dollars to back this legislation with the help of lobbyist to push it through. In addition to this, the vague wording in the proposed bills appeared to concentrate solely on benefiting its financial backers. In its current form the opponents of the proposed legislation believe that it would not allow for due process when determining which sites are in violation and which are not. For instance, if the MPAA or RIAA believed that something on your website violates their IP rights they could have it shut down without so much as a discussion, trial, warning or anything. Here is a direct quote which clarifies why many opposed the new bill “Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet,” Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, said in a statement. “If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring out new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States.” In an effort to discourage congress from preceding with that passage of these bills many well known websites sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, BoingBoing, Imgur and Craigslist all shut down their sites for 12 hours in protest. This massive protest resulted in having the vote delayed on both bills which in turn was a pretty big, albeit temporary, victory for all those who opposed the legislation.
At current, this fight is still far from over. It has been mentioned that the Senate has only postponed the vote on these bills so that they may take time to engage in further discussion regarding different aspects of the bills. Additionally, as long as the Motion Picture Association of America as well as the Recording Industry Association of America continues to enlist the help of lobbyists, as they are now, to keep these bills alive the war will continue to rage on.