Stop Online Piracy Act Delayed, Opponents Declare (Temporary) Victory

[Kaleko]

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/stop-online-piracy-act-delayed-opponents-declare-temporary-victory.php


Carl Franzen December 16, 2011, 6:25 PM 161 0

Shortly after the marathon second hearing on the “Stop Online Piracy Act” was adjourned Friday afternoon, opponents of the bill began claiming (temporary) victory.

Popular social news website Reddit, the Progressive Campaign Change Committee and Net Coalition, a group representing leading Web companies including Google, Yahoo and Amazon, all sent out messages welcoming the temporary delay in moving the bill forward.

Now, the House is unlikely to touch SOPA until January 17, 2012, the next calendar date that the House is in session, although it could restart the markup hearing as early as next week, depending on what congressional leadership decides.

“Something could potentially happen next week,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the lawmaker arguably singlehandedly responsible for stopping the SOPA hearing dead in its tracks by convincing the bill’s sponsor and the leader of the hearings, House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), to adjourn the markup hearing and consider holding additional cybersecurity hearings on the bill.

---snip---

Still, with the numerous competing efforts to combat piracy all circulating through Congress in some fashion, 2012 will likely prove to be a decisive year in the government’s regulation of the open Web. Stay tuned.

____________________________________________________________________________

Read the last two sentences above. The article explains how several other bills are still in the pipeline, all designed to crack down on internet free speech.

[wryter2000]

1. Free speech

I guess the almost 1000 people who stole...er...shared one of my books online are dancing a jig tonight while I get to keep my day job.

[24601]

2. Welcome to the collective, Comrade! From each according to his (or her) means and all

that stuff.

Sucks to be mugged, even online.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Sadly it goes beyond the books

Places like this would have to shut down.

[Big_Mike]

9. I would refer you to the writings by author Eric Flint on DRM and "stealing" via the internet

If you look at his introduction to the Baen Free Library, you will see what I believe is a very strong case against DRM (http:\\www.baen.com\library\ ). Essentially, Mr. Flint argues that the thieves are a nuisance, like kids stealing bubble gum.

Do you regard sales of books to libraries a loss? If 200 libraries bought your book, then I would expect more than 1000 viewings of your writings. This is in effect free advertising. How do you lose in this circumstance? Unfortunately, thieves are a fact of life. A friend of mine works in a brick and mortar Barnes and Noble location. Even with alarms, they still lose a fair amount of work to "shrinkage" (stealing from the store for us common shoppers). How is online any different?

I have started reading over 20 new authors based upon various libraries and/or online libraries. The free material introduced me to these writers, and now I purchase online, HC, and paperback versions of their books.

I admit it, I am addicted to the printed word, and purchase accordingly. However, I hane never yet purchased any DRM material, and do not believe I will.

[Kaleko]

10. You make a good case.

I have bought countless books, CDs and other artistic products online after first getting a good taste of them on the net.

Moreover, copyright laws have to be rejiggered worldwide to accommodate the startling realization that the net is as uncontrollable as the thoughts in a living being's head. Suppression or prohibition only leads to black markets that will sabotage oppressive rules.

[Quartermass]

3. It's a small victory.

But the truth of the matter is the big guys are going to win, eventually. They have mountains of money and armies of lawyers working for them.

Remember the golden rule.

He who has the gold makes the rules.

[meow2u3]

5. This is my tweet to the White House, re: SOPA

@whitehouse Veto Internet Censorship #sopa . The Internet you save may be your own.

I should have tweeted: ...the Youtube account you save may be your own.

[meow2u3]

6. Keep the pressure up on Congress

If we don't, they might pass the Great Firewall of America bill in the dead of night. I wouldn't put it past Lamar Smith, who doesn't know his ass from his elbow about computer network technology.

I, for one, know very little about network tech, but I'm not shoving my corporate paymaster's will down Americans' throats, BTA, I don't have a corporate paymaster.

[Jon Ace]

7. Delayed until the 21st

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12561470/Judiciary.pdf

Memo leak.


And from Issa (R-CA)...

https://twitter.com/#!/DarrellIssa/status/147795287732264960

[Kaleko]

8. Yep, looks like we're getting a Christmas present

House Delays Taking Action on SOPA Until Dec. 21


Initial reports indicated that voting on the measure — which if passed would create a “blacklist” of websites that infringe on copyrights — would be pushed back to 2012.

However, Rep. Darrell Issa has since confirmed via a tweet (below) that talks regarding SOPA will continue Dec. 21, right before lawmakers depart for holiday break.

@DarrellIssa BREAKING: Judiciary has scheduled the rest of #SOPA markup next Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 9 AM EST.

In its heated two-day debate about H.R.3261 so far, the House Judiciary Committee has been deciding whether to pass the provision to the House floor. The debate unsurprisingly has pitted copyright holders such as Disney, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America against Internet freedom organizations as well as companies such as eBay, Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo.

More: http://mashable.com/2011/12/16/stop-online-piracy-act-house-postponed-wednesday/