Quote:
Gizmodo
In short, The government will pretty much be able to control everything on the web. So let's say I post a link to a song (we have plenty of those) Someone an come and claim it copyrighted and The whole website will be blocked without any investigations into it.
So no more Youtube, Wikipedia, Fan websites (Avsim, Flightsim, this site, Sim-outhouse e.t.c) If M$ files copyright claims copyright hold. So in short, They are going to cause havoc on the only thing that is continually growing, increasing and helping people find jobs e.t.c to stop pirates who will find a way around it anyway . I mean, Where else could someone start with little more than an Idea, then turn it into a multi-bilion dollar company? Where else could someone post an news story thousands of miles away and recieve instant feedback? Have forums like these?
What's Your opinion on this. I wasn't sure this would go in the other sites page.
So this may be the end of the World wide web as we know it.
And P.S I have a habit of overthinking things.

I strongly believe in protecting intellectual property and copyrights, but the SOPA/PIPA acts are a bit extreme because of the 'spray and pray' effect from it.

DMCA take downs already exist, so I don't see why they need to change it. SOPA has the potential to be be very effective, but I do not trust the people enforcing the rule to be in any way smart about it. In a somewhat unrelated case, I remember hearing that Uri Geller made copyright claims for his appearance in videos recorded by others, and won. In fact, the copyright holder was the maker of the video, not the subject. If this was applied to SOPA/PIPA, entire websites could be closed down because of negligence to the law.

Websites such as Youtube would be okay though, as SOPA/PIPA will only take down (or 'investigate') websites that aren't actively monitoring their media. As you can see on Youtube, if your video is seen to contain copyright music, they will delete the audio track. Websites such as Flickr are in the firing line though because they aren't 'actively monitoring'. That said, they do have adequate reporting systems against copyright infringement and have a very good turn around time on any complaints. But they could be taken down, because their system isn't actively looking for copyright material.

As I say, instead of helping the people who are actually being affected, they're just nuking entire areas of the web. I doubt many of the people in congress even understand how to use a computer or what copyright/fair use/copyright limitations actually are. There are many exceptions, and an unfair system will not notice them.


I can't make more points because Wikipedia went offline just as I started to write this! Cheers, SOPA/PIPA!

expat wrote on Jan 18^th, 2012 at 6:01am:

It sucks to say it, but you really can't fix the problem... Not unless you shut down all the servers in the world, destroy every computer, gadget and wire. Totally blocking every internet service might do it, but you'd have to ask the mobs of angry people what they think.


How would I manage it? Easy. I would ask of one thing: Web hosts should do manual checks of their site for the content that is present in the most feasable way possible. It would be ideal to have an automated service for everything, but there is too much data out there to collate and manage. The DMCA take down system already exists, so copyright holders can file a complaint against a website for hosting their data. The web host should be noted of this claim, and have time to retaliate. If there is suitable evidence that the property does not belong to them, and does not fit into any exemption (fair use, derivative, etc) then persue the website. If the website is a 'sole site' (like a personal webpage) then take it down. If the website is a social site (facebook, Youtube, etc) then close down that user account and chase down the actual user.


It is one thing to do it fairly (talking to the web host, explaining the problem, and giving them the opportunity to take down the media). It is another thing entirely just to shut the website down and cut them off. Flickr no doubt hosts BILLIONS of images from MILLIONS of users. If one user posts one picture that does not belong to them, it is idiotic to shut down the entire website because of it.


Copyright holders can already sue, but unless they're losing profit, the case usually isn't very strong. That is why you DMCA take down the media from them.

The government will want sites to actively monitor (have automated services and the such) to check their content. This is not always feasable, but according to the government, is enough of a reason to shut the website down if they're unable to do so.



In short: Keep the current system.

Its this what are you talking about?



Its that means that they will remove PORN from the internet?

Oh NOOOOOOO!!!


LMAO!!!!

Sopa in Spanish means Soup ,
lets keep this out of the political stuff shall we? keep it cool 

you know?  ..the rules, etc -->  ....

so we can live in peace

*grabs pitchfork and torch*

WHO'S WITH ME!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?

Xpand wrote on Jan 18^th, 2012 at 10:20am:


True about politics. Although the reason I like the net is because whenever I get curious about a song I've heard about,  just look it up on youtube and Voilà.
But then If every time I want to hear a song I have to spend $10 on the album or wait for radio to play it that's pathetic.

And Also, SOPA is Masai for "hello"

alrot wrote on Jan 18^th, 2012 at 10:47am:


I got your back.
Weather they like it or not, Pirates always and I do mean always, find ways around these laws. Sad but true

I just thought of an interestign thing.  This is only U.S. government right?  What about sites from OTHER COUNTRIES?  Aren't those out of our (uhhh..... let me think of the right word here)  (legal influence? )

Club508 wrote on Jan 18^th, 2012 at 3:33pm:


I think Club that the U.S. will find a way to get at sites from other countries so they can play



P.S. I'm annoyed that wiki shut down temporarily because of this, now I can't look up Thunderbirds & Doctor Who.

As to the influence of this legislation worldwide, while I'm sure that the US government, in its all consuming need to mind everyone else's affairs, will eventually try to force the rest of the world to pass similar legislation, if, of course, these bills pass, the international conflict is more immediate. SOPA and PIPA will have full effect on American companies, and a significant effect on foreign companies that operate in America. This means that, on the most noticeable level, sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit, who operate in American territory and under American law could be forced to shut down large pieces of their sites, if not the site entirely, for the trespassings of a single user. This effect would be international, and, given the number of businesses that rely so heavily on large media sites, could have a profound effect on the global economy, an effect that I am beginning to doubt the members of Congress pressing for these bills (many of whom admitted in recorded debates to not knowing much about how the internet, or even computers function) have even bothered to imagine. What is more, it has already been demonstrated (by Universal, I believe, though I may be wrong; when they managed to place a DNS block on MegaUpload, a German site, for all locations in America, its territories, and Iraq) that the power given to corporations by these bills will allow them to do to America, exactly what Americans have been criticising the Chinese government for doing; namely, censoring the internet to the point where all available material is regulated.

In any case I can only see this legislation as doing significant harm to the world at large, economically, technologically, and, yes, even culturally. I can't imagine that anyone in support of this has evaluated the far reaching consequences, and I know that should it be enacted, this would only cause to create huge inconvenience, loss of freedom (something most Americans are rather opinionated about), and social unrest, while any pirate worth his salt will be able to continue on doing what he'd been doing.


*Sorry for the huge sentences, it's a habit.

**Also, why does this site think that refreshing Preview is spamming?

This scares me and I'm not even in the US:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhwuXNv8fJM&feature=g-all-lik&context=G21aaa48FAA...

wait i just relised:

what about hackers?
i imagine that some hackers WILL hack into SOPA one day and block it.

so,maybe in the future that would be the first hacker to be loved.

...and so it goes on...>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16642369

Paul.

Sorry for being the newbie posting on this but I saw this and couldn't help myself...I still use the site, just never got into the whole forum thing...

My whole take on it is that it seems that my fellow citiznes in office have forgotten what our fathers founded our country on...the idea of freedome of what to do and individual rights and property!

If I use some logo or other intellectual property, and the owner doesn't like it, then let the owner take responsibilty of their property on their own if they care so much! It seems that we as a country have shifted our governement's role from brother to father...

Just some thoughts that me and my dad had brought up in a conversation...

A quote I took from an OMG article..


The author of the internet-censoring SOPA bill would be in violation if it were to pass! Lamar Smith is a congressman from Texas and the author of the Stop Online Piracy Bill. We've covered SOPA before (here, and here).

As you've probably heard, most internet companies are in an uproar about the restrictive nature of this legislation, which would put the US on par with the most restrictive regimens in the world when it comes to the internet.

The website Vice did some investigating, and they found that the congressman's website is using a photo without the consent of the man who took the photograph. This means that under the rules of SOPA, the photographer could order Internet service providers to block the congressman's website for violating his copyright!

We know we've been harping on this, but it's important that everyone recognizes how bad this legislation is for the average internet user.

Fozzer wrote on Jan 19^th, 2012 at 7:55pm:




It's the one and the same.    

For those requiring more information on the matter, to see why it is a really dangerous and corrupt idea, do a Youtube search for 'KhanAcademy' SOPA and PIPA. He is also an absolute genius at other tutorials such as maths and physics, hence why I watch his videos. In opposition to the thread about the worst sounding noises, Khan has one of the best!


(I can't post a link at the moment as I'm on a mobile and it may corrupt the link as it will direct you to the mobile site too)

alrot wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 7:47am:


It's And Australian accent .
No news about what? 
It might be approved on the 24th of This month.

hyperpep111 wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 8:23am:

Nothing like it. He's British. Cynical Brit

alrot wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 12:54pm:

I believe the MegaUpload folks were given many warnings and take down notices and did not comply. Many of the users that they should have taken down were paying users, so essentially funding the MegaUpload website.

If that's true, then fair enough. But I still think it's incredibly dodgy that the US government were still able to close a Hong Kong registered website. I believe most, if not all, of the MegaUpload files were removed. A lot of people used that site for shareware products, so it hit a lot of innocent people too. I'm surprised that they didn't just host the website in another country though... Surely the non-US servers should still be free to operate?


But yes, it is a good day