Facebook, Twitter, eBay & Other Big Internet Companies Come Out Against SOPA

VP Joe Biden Explains Why SOPA & PROTECT IP Are Anti-American & A Bad Idea

from the good-for-him dept

Tue, Nov 15th 2011 11:00am — Mike Masnick

A couple of weeks ago, Joe Biden gave a perfect, if unintended, explanation for why SOPA and PROTECT IP are such terrible ideas. Since his speech included a bunch of other things, we thought it would be good to highlight Biden's specific arguments that explain why SOPA and PROTECT IP are bad, and to give him kudos for making such statements, since they contradict the statements from Hollywood on this bill. Unfortunately, even with Biden's clear and incontestable statements that show the massive harm that SOPA and PROTECT IP would cause for innovation in the US, this bill still has tremendous momentum in DC, thanks to a strong lobbying push from the legacy entertainment industry. In fact, don't be surprised if Biden totally contradicts himself in a few weeks and pretends that he's all for censoring the internet, harming innovation, and "fixing" what isn't broken on the internet. That's why we're urging folks to support American Censorship Day tomorrow, as the House holds its first hearings ever on how best to censor the internet. Biden's clear explanation of why SOPA & PROTECT IP are so bad should give pause to anyone supporting it -- and will certainly raise serious eyebrows if/when Biden (and the White House) later change positions on these bills. Oh, and if Biden does change positions, let's hold him to it, and make it clear that the American public doesn't appreciate flip flopping politicians, who completely contradict themselves, based on who's supporting what legislation.

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Filed Under: copyright, innovation, internet freedom, joe biden, protect ip, sopa

48 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:06am

Please point out exactly where Mr Biden mentions SOPA.

Waiting... waiting....

(I expect failure as Mike goes all out to discredit SOPA).
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monkyyy, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:09am

good, i was worried that everyone in power didnt get tech and was ignoring those that do, for a few days
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Chris Rhodes (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:12am

Re:
Congratulations, you've identified why the video is so funny.

Reminds me of the video where "Governor" Bush argues against "President" Bush.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:15am

whiningaboutSOPA.com

Sorry Masnick, but if your dorky tech buddies can't make money unless it's off of illegal infringement, then they need to adapt and find a better business model.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:19am

That was awesome!
Thank you, Vice President Biden.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:22am

Re:
You know, Mr. Creative, creativity is supposed to be about more than copying and pasting....
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Planespotter (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:23am

Re:
Do you sit with your cock in your left hand wanking while you use your right to type this drivel?
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monkyyy, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:23am

Re:
legal != moral
illegal != immoral
fighting a bill != illegal
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:28am

Great summation of why Masnick is freaking out about the bill (besides the fact that he loves to get his movies and music without paying):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-castle/on-rogue-websites-legisla_b_1080543.html
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:31am

Re: Gimme a "T"!
Short, to the point. 8 of 10.

That link though; whoa! Could hardly stumble thru the arrogant shilling of the second paragraph without vomiting. Wow.
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Gwiz (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:34am

Re:
Great summation of why Masnick is freaking out about the bill (besides the fact that he loves to get his movies and music without paying):

I'll take "Examples of Libel on the Internet" again for $400 please, Alex.
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Donnicton, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:41am

Re: Re: Gimme a "T"!
But instead of reasoned debate or, better yet, a cooperative search for solutions, some members of America's venture capital community would rather set up straw men to be knocked over with arguments that are not supported by the facts and essentially vilify artists and other members of the creative community when they try to defend their rights.

The irony is strong with this one.

Just goes to show that you can pretend anything is the truth if you say it loudly enough.
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:46am

Re:
Really? All you've got is Chris "I H8 GOOGLE" Castle to point to? I already read that "editorial" on his blog, MusicTechPolicy. Points for reckless use of "1%ers." Plays good with the populists these days.
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Scooters (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:46am

"In fact, don't be surprised if Biden totally contradicts himself..."
Hope he does. Then I'll say he's responsible for the "unadulterated theft" of common sense.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:52am

Get ready for some massive flip flopping.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 11:56am

Re:
Wow. Talk about co-opting a movement. Your Huffington Post article goes to great lengths to paint the SOPA oppostion as 1%-ers. Granted, the OWS people have a plethora of purposes. But this is the first time I've read anyone insinuate that what they are really protesting against is Internet freedom.
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anonymous, 15 Nov 2011 @ 12:08pm

what a shame that he didn't come outright and say just exactly who wants this bill, why they want this bill, what they have done to try to get this bill introduced and what they will do if it is introduced, ie, favour the entertainment industries only, (under the pretence of 'piracy is killing our industry' when it is actually flourising), while breaking almost every other internet industry, not just in the US but world wide as well.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 12:12pm

Re: Re:
Funny, I was considering that as something to write about.

I think that the OWS people are pretty much on par with the SOPA opposition. They would love us to think that they are the 99%, that they are some sort of grassroots thing, but in reality, neither of them are.

When you look at all of the SOPA opposition Mike points to, it seems to keep coming up with the same short list of players. Many of the "groups" are just EFF wannabes, lead by a very small group of people who don't really seem to represent anything except themselves and a few of their friends. They act all like grassroots movements, but really they are just another collection of opinionated people with the balls to claim that they speak for the rest of us (they don't).

Almost without exception, these "groups" all point to the same videos, and all use the same speaking points.

Their level of desperation is high enough that, like in his post, they are willing to misrepresent what a high government official says, in order to make their points. Biden isn't speaking about allowing piracy or supporting widespread illegal activities on the net, he is discussing freer speech in countries that just don't have it.

What Mike, the EFF, and their tag along groups have done is try to shift the debate away from piracy, and on to "free speech". They are seemingly willing to ignore piracy, and instead want to look at exception cases on the edge to try to define some harm. News for you guys, there is plenty of harm in the middle, where the music industry has been decimated by piracy, and the movie industry is next up for some serious hurting.

So enjoy setting up and knocking down your strawmen. In the end, you will be tagged as the supporters of piracy, and you won't be able to shake that tag.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 12:39pm

The less than subtle background music is hilarious
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 12:44pm

Re: Re: Re:
In the end, you will be tagged as the supporters of piracy, and you won't be able to shake that tag.

And what exactly is that supposed to mean, beyond carrying around an "unshakeable" tag? Does your vision of a post-SOPA world come with some sort of Scarlet Letter-esque public shaming of quote/enquote piracy supporters?
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 12:50pm

Re: Re: Re:
When you look at all of the SOPA opposition Mike points to, it seems to keep coming up with the same short list of players

Add me to that list.

the music industry has been decimated by piracy

I think you mean the recording industry - they're not the same.

Biden isn't speaking about allowing piracy or supporting widespread illegal activities on the net

Neither are we.

he is discussing freer speech in countries that just don't have it.

Amen. His plea is also that governments don't do anything to curtail that speech.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 12:55pm

This is just a stunt to pretend that opposition will be represented in the discussion for this bill. That way supporters can falsely claim that opposition was invited and represented.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 1:02pm

Re:
Every American that love his country should get their movie and music without paying, except if they know exactly who the artist is and if they have the knowledge that the person in question is a good person and doesn't support business killing laws.
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The eejit (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 1:24pm

Re:
The same could be said about Hollywood's origins, too. What they did was as illegal is copyright infringement today.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 1:41pm

SOPA will be great for TV stations, studios and labels I just can wait to see them suing each other out of existence LoL

http://torrentfreak.com/artists-sue-cbs-cnet-for-profiting-from-piracy-111115/

Those kind of artists are such a bunch of whiners.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 1:52pm

Re: Re: Re:
Tag us as supporters of piracy? That's the next logical step in the plan isn't it? Labeling people in order to dehumanized them so they can be taken care of swiftly and permanently. Kind of like what the SS used to do.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 2:00pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
The music industry and the recording industry are inexorably linked.

I'm sure you'd love to back in time when they weren't, but that isn't going to happen.
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Machin Shin, 15 Nov 2011 @ 2:05pm

Re: Re:
I'm sorry but you did not respond in the form of a question.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 2:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
"I think you mean the recording industry - they're not the same."

Nope, I mean the music industry.

58% of the recorded music sales (including itunes and all the online stuff) has disappeared in 10 years. Concert sales are dropping, ticket prices are going through the roof, and everyone already has a closet full of t-shirts they aren't wearing. The number of live venues isn't growing, but the number of acts attempting to play in them has gone up as everyone has become an "artist".
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 2:31pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Sounds like the music industry should focus more on investing in creating more live venues, and less on trying to sell recorded music.
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RcCypher (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 2:31pm

What amazes me
What amazes me is not the article, or the comments on the article. What amazes me is how many of the comments are from anonymous cowards, either to lazy, or to stupid, to create a profile. But I suppose it doesn't work if they create a profile, because then we could simply click block and drown out the blather.......

....Now back to your discussion.....
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The Incoherent One (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 2:45pm

Maybe the right place, maybe not
So I wrote my Representative Mark Amodei. I asked him not to support SOPA or any type of legislation that may allow for censorship online. This is what I got:

November 15, 2011

Dear Mr. *******:

As I settle into my new role as a Member of Congress, I thought I would contact you to make sure you had my appropriate contact information and let you know that I have received your thoughts on issues affecting the Silver State and our great nation. We are working to respond to your specific requests in a timely manner.

As you may know, I was recently elected to the United States House of Representatives in a special election on Tuesday, September 13th, 2011. Over the past month, I have opened my offices in both Washington DC and Nevada. In addition, I have held scores of meetings with constituents across northern Nevada on a variety of issues. When in Washington, I have been working on legislation to increase job creation by voting to remove onerous regulations on small businesses, voting to increase private sector investment in the economy, and voting to repeal government mandates that prevents the hiring of new workers. I am also pleased to tell you I have introduced my first two pieces of legislation that both involve ensuring our public lands are protected and managed by Nevadans first.

I am excited to have to the opportunity to represent our state as I work within Congress to get the country headed in the right direction. It is time to get Nevadans back to work, repair the economy, and reduce Washington spending. One of my major priorities is to support a proposal that will control our massive deficit in order to not leave the spending mistakes of this generation on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren.

For more information on how to contact me or get updates on my latest activities please visit www.Amodei.house.gov or at facebook.com/MarkAmodeiNV2. This site contains up to date information on pending legislation and current events both in Washington DC and Nevada.

Sincerely,

Mark E. Amodei
Member of Congress

MEA/kt

I do not think they actually read my letter.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 3:17pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
You say that demand is low (lower recording/concert/t-shirt sales), and supply is high (everyone is becoming artists). If what you say is true, then basic economics tells us that policy makers ought to lower the price (i.e. in terms of copyright incentives) we are paying for music.
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Rich (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 4:02pm

Re: Maybe the right place, maybe not
Attach more $100 bills.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 4:16pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Yes, instead of more artistic innovation and creation, let's make musicians go back to being traveling itinerant minstrels.

Sounds like real "progress".

Fucking idiot.
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The Incoherent One (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 4:30pm

Re: Re: Maybe the right place, maybe not
Being that it is Nevada, I was thinking hooker.
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lucidrenegade (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 6:15pm

Re: Re: Re: Maybe the right place, maybe not
...and a body bag for afterwards.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 7:02pm

that'z max headroom
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Jay (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 8:01pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
The music industry has done quite well over the years. The recording industry has not as technology moved on without them.

I know you want people to believe that the CD will come back in style but it just isn't happening. Neither are contracts that are the bread and butter of the RIAA by putting up huge financial numbers for the CEOs. No, the industry is at least a little more fair by having the artists find new alternatives to the RIAA, ASCAP and the entire recording industry system.
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Jay (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 8:02pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
You really don't pay attention to live country singers do you?
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2011 @ 8:07pm

Re:
Stupid or trolling?
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The Incoherent One (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 8:09pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Maybe the right place, maybe not
No need, hookers are legal here.
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Jay (profile), 15 Nov 2011 @ 8:17pm

Re: Re:
I find this amusing because he doesn't really answer questions raised by the problems of SOPA, he says "it's the venture capitalists who don't like it because they'll make money unfairly", then he pulls a play out of Steven Tepp's playbook and just says "sit back, relax, and let Congress do all the work" when everyone and their mother is saying this is a bad idea!
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Kevin Carson, 16 Nov 2011 @ 12:06am

This is Biden, right?
I figured he just plagiarized the speech from you or Doctorow.

(Say -- is he really the best person to talk about "stealing" people's ideas?)
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2011 @ 12:37am

at whiningaboutSOPA guy
i smell a fucking puppet. you will not sway us. we all know about forged grass roots movements, and you guys suck at it. This bill is against the first amendment and shall be fought to the end. Just like when the RIAA tried to ban cassettes (Digital Audio Recorder Copycode Act of 1987 ) which shows how lobbyists will convince senators to do stupid things which are counter productive
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2011 @ 6:10am

Think about the children! What will they watch if you can't pirate stuff?

THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!
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Scott Peterson, 16 Nov 2011 @ 5:00pm

Joe biden video
Tried to watch it but your stupid Intel popover would not go away. Total waste of time.
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Brendan (profile), 18 Nov 2011 @ 6:42am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Yea we can't expect a person to have to work continuously in order to earn a living! Unspeakable!

Either they get inifinite money for sitting at home alll dayx, or I'm taking my big retarded ball of idiot music execs and going home. And you poopyheads won't get any of our music at all!

Response from world: good riddance
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