SOPA: What’s it REALLY mean? And what will it do to our media?
Searching for jobs online this morning? You may be better off looking on foot. Need a Wiki reference? Better off getting a scholarly source. Craigslist, among other websites (Wikipedia and Reddit.com), are out of service this morning in protest of two controversial anti-piracy bills: The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate companion, the Protect IP Act (PIPA).
On the surface, one may think that a bill like this would be beneficial to musicians and filmmakers who deserve to have their hard work PURCHASED. It’s no secret that pirated music and films are an ongoing problem. However, these bills will do much, much more, than stop us from downloading free movies and music.
SOPA and PIPA would give the Justice Department the power to go after foreign websites willfully committing or facilitating intellectual property theft — “rogue” sites like The Pirate Bay. The government would be able to force U.S.-based companies, like Internet service providers, credit card companies and online advertisers, to cut off ties with those sites.
The legislation in question targets foreign companies whose primary purpose is to sell stolen or counterfeit goods — but opponents say domestic companies could still be held liable for linking to their content.(CBS).
According to a recent McKinsey study, it was shown that the United States is the largest player in the global Internet supply ecosystem, capturing more than 30 percent of global Internet revenues and more than 40 percent of net income.
Harry Knowles, owner of Ain’t It Cool News, blogged on the matter, saying, “We’re on the edge of a profound media realignment. The studios have been working for years to begin to create gigantic information farms where pretty much everything they’ve ever created will one day be available for streaming and instant access. But before they put the crown jewels up digitally forever, they have to make sure they can protect their ability to control that information. That they make coin from every transaction.”
SIGN THE PETITION TO VOTE “NO” ON PIPA AND SOPA
So who wants the bill, and who doesn’t?
Well, clearly, the corporations that are pushing for the bills are ones like the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) who are threatened by illegitimate Internet activity. On the other hand, domestic companies that are in any way affiliated with the forign companies that the act targets, will be affected. More websites than you think will be affected.
Think about it… ANY kind of music site, film site, video game site and things of the like will be either shut down or damaged. Movie reviews? Trailers? Say goodbye to easy access to these things. If the bill does pass, in my opinion, it will be a grim discovery to those in favor of the bill, that people will stop consuming as much. Why? Because people LIKE reading movie reviews and seeing clips before investing in a movie ticket. People LIKE hearing songs from an artist before buying their album.
Am I right? Or am I right? Just kidding. But really…
