BSA Changes Its Mind On SOPA: Unintended Consequences Too Big

from the whoops dept

Mon, Nov 21st 2011 2:18pm — Mike Masnick

Late last week and over the weekend, supporters of SOPA started pushing a slightly ridiculous idea that a bunch of big tech companies "supported SOPA." This was based on the fact that the oftentimes extremist organization, the BSA, had come out in favor of SOPA, and a few people chose to believe that meant every member of the BSA -- including companies like Apple, Intel and Dell -- supported SOPA. The attempt to pretend that Apple must support SOPA was angering a lot of Apple fans, and it appears that something happened behind the scenes.

The BSA has now come out with a blog post "clarifying" its position, which seems a lot more like completely backing down on its position, and admitting that SOPA is way too broad and would have serious unintended consequences:

Valid and important questions have been raised about the bill. It is intended to get at the worst of the worst offenders. As it now stands, however, it could sweep in more than just truly egregious actors. To fix this problem, definitions of who can be the subject of legal actions and what remedies are imposed must be tightened and narrowed. Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights cannot be compromised. And the security of networks and communications is indispensable to a thriving Internet economy. Some observers have raised reasonable questions about whether certain SOPA provisions might have unintended consequences in these areas. BSA has long stood against filtering or monitoring the Internet. All of these concerns should be duly considered and addressed.

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Filed Under: copyright, free speech, sopa, tech industry
Companies: apple, bsa

35 Comments

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Nigel (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:26pm

Everybody... Get outside quick!
Cus is just started raining Skittles :)

Nigel
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hothmonster, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:29pm

The wild west days of congress are over. No longer can the company with the most money just strut around demanding laws to support their failing businesses that are unwilling to adapt. Hope you cowboys had your fun time to start working.

#amIdoingitright?
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- Prisoner 201, 21 Nov 2011 @ 11:52pm
  
  Re:
  This is brilliant. I am going to have a hard time not to quote this everytime someone uses the "wild west" analogy to defend copymaximalism.
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- btrussell (profile), 22 Nov 2011 @ 1:47am
  
  Re:
  Doing it right?
  
  One of the best.
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weneedhelp (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:29pm

Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights cannot be compromised.
Awww. Its so cute. They think we still have those.
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Nigel (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:30pm

*it.... note to self.... Stop doing 5 things at once.

N.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:34pm

Eat a dick SOPA supporters! /troll off
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- :Lobo Santo (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:37pm
  
  Re:
  troll off?
  That's like a 'dance off', right?
  
  ;-P
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  - Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:40pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Do we get to keep our pants on for this one?
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  - Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:40pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Do we get to keep our pants on for this one?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:43pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      I swear that I hit submit once, then used the link to comeback to my comment. Anyone having problems with Chrome?
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - :Lobo Santo (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:44pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        It's happened to me one on FireFox, but it's one of those rare intermittent hard to duplicate bugs apparently.
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      - Dark Helmet (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:45pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        I think the source of your confusion may be the fact you aren't wearing pants....
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        Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:10pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        What I do in the privacy of my partially private cubical is my business thank you. Besides it gets hot in here.
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        Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:26pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        I never wear pants, so that's not it.
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      - :Lobo Santo (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:46pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Though, come to think of it--should be easy enough to filter out accidental double posts thru a simple pattern matching algorithm; said posts are always "on top of" each other and always have the exact same text, and are from the same IP address.
        
        Hey Mike!
        
        Why does this 'double post' bug still exist? ^_^
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        Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:50pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Because the algorithm fails to account for Pants=on/Pants=off.
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        Dark Helmet (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:54pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Beauty is in the eye of the be-algorithm, as it were....
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        Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:14pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Your just upset that I got the legs, and you got the brains.
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        Prisoner 201, 21 Nov 2011 @ 11:58pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Wax on. Wax off.
        -Mr Miyagi
        
        Pants on. Pants off.
        -Capitalist Lion Tamer
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        hothmonster, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:52pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        its a good question lots of comment sites will just say "you've already said that" when you try to double post, i.e. rockpapershotgun.com
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  - shane, 21 Nov 2011 @ 4:40pm
    
    Re: Re:
    i think it is more in the line of "no homo" ?
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- Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:49pm
  
  Re:
  Here's how you tell someone to "eat a dick."
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  - Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:58pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Nice to see that it is copyrighted.
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    - hothmonster, 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:05pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      it is??? OH NO!!! I hope the artist doesn't invoke SOPA to get this site shut down! Oh wait, that thankfully hasn't passed yet we are still allowed to link to copyrighted material.
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      - TheStupidOne, 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:12pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Incorrect good sir. Cause I've just filed a complaint against techdirt about that copyright image and now they shall be cut off from the internet unless Mike can defend himself successfully and at his own expense.
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another mike (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 2:46pm

clarification
Sounds to me like BSA's members clarified their position on continuing their membership. BSA wants dues paid more than they want this law.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:57pm

Ah, they finally realized that...
...it undermines their business model.

Consider: how does the BSA make money?

Why, extortion, of course.

Now what happens if SOPA becomes law and is actually enforced?

Then someone caught with 235 illicit copies of PhotoBabbleWordCel gets arrested and prosecuted.

This neatly removes them from the pool of possible extortion targets. Oh, it may mean a stop to their particular actions, and it may mean something good for the vendor of PhotoBabbleWordCel, but it does nothing for the BSA.

So, you see, the last thing that the thugs at the BSA want is anyone else working their side of the street. Nope, they want it alllll to themselves. It's just business, you know.
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Jordan (profile), 21 Nov 2011 @ 3:59pm

Great. Now I'm getting tweets from my senator that link to TechDirt articles. I'm stuck in a Ron Wyden infinite loop.

https://twitter.com/#!/RonWyden/status/138766335843901440
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Nov 2011 @ 4:06pm

Define BSA?
Mike,

Maybe it's just me, but when I see BSA it means Boy Scouts of America. I knew that wasn't right in this context, but I had to go look it up to know who you were actually talking about. Maybe next time you could define the acronym after the first full use, like in standardized writing style. Thanks.
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- Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 22 Nov 2011 @ 1:52am
  
  Re: Define BSA?
  Boy Scouts? You are obviously crazy.
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  - btrussell (profile), 22 Nov 2011 @ 3:02am
    
    Re: Re: Define BSA?
    Exactly!
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mike allen (profile), 22 Nov 2011 @ 2:49am

and i thought it ment BRITISH SMALL ARMS lol
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- Tom Forest, 22 Nov 2011 @ 6:41pm
  
  Re:
  
  and i thought it ment BRITISH SMALL ARMS...
  
  That would be Birmingham Small Arms
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Small_Arms_Company
  Former manufacturers of military and sporting firearms; bicycles; motorcycles; cars; buses etc.
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Anonim, 25 Nov 2011 @ 1:19pm

If "has long stood against filtering or monitoring the Internet", why joined in SOPA lobby?
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