Surprise: Heritage Foundation, Who Almost Always Supports MPAA, Comes Out Against SOPA
from the didn't-see-that-coming dept
Increasingly, it looks like the MPAA and the US Chamber of Commerce can't even count on their closest "friends" to support SOPA. The latest surprise is that the Heritage Foundation has come out against SOPA, warning that it would likely have dangerous unintended consequences. They note both the security concerns as well as the First Amendment concerns:The requirement that search engines omit links to rogue sites undercuts the role of search firms as trusted intermediaries in conveying information to users. There are, of course, other circumstances where search engines already omit information and links—for instance, Google routinely screens out child pornography from its search results. But there has never been a government mandate that information be withheld from search results. Imposing such a mandate would represent the first step down a classic slippery slope of government interference that has no clear stopping point.What's really shocking about this is that the Heritage Foundation has a long, long history of being strongly in favor of more draconian copyright law, and a big supporter of efforts by the RIAA and MPAA to go legal at the drop of a hat over copyright issues:
Arguably, the limits placed on search engines as well as other third parties under SOPA would also violate constitutional protections of freedom of speech. But even if not barred legally, any such restrictions should be imposed only after the most careful consideration, only when absolutely necessary, and even then, to the smallest degree possible.
Unlike some Washington advocacy groups that are predictably anti-copyright, Heritage has historically taken the opposite position. It called the Motion Picture Association of America's decision to sue peer-to-peer pirates a "wise choice," and suggested that disrupting P2P networks to curb piracy, an idea that some politicians actually proposed, is a step "in the right direction."To now have the group go the other way is a huge surprise -- and furthers the rapidly growing momentum against SOPA. It had appeared that much (though certainly not all) of the momentum had been on "the left." But, with recent concerns from DC groups that "the right" tends to follow and respect (including CATO, CEI and now Heritage), it seems like plenty of politicians on both sides of the aisle may be increasingly skeptical of SOPA. It may have the votes to get out of the House Judiciary Committee, but it may be difficult for it to survive a floor vote.
[....]
Ed Meese, Reagan's attorney general who's now a Heritage fellow, seemed to be channelling an MPAA lobbyist when writing in 2005 that "there is no difference between shoplifting a DVD from a store and illegally downloading a copyrighted movie from Kazaa." Heritage's warnings of international "threats to intellectual property rights" date back to at least 1987. And it scores protection of intellectual property rights in its annual Index of Economic Freedom.
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Filed Under: copyright, protect ip, sopa, support
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Without Due Process
Essentially, they believe that there should be some due process instead of guilty until proven innocent. Good for them!
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Re: Without Due Process
This is where I hope everyone can take a deep breath and realize that it's possible for both sides to disagree on many of the general or finer points of these debates, and yet still have a nuanced cogent thought in their heads. Kudos to Heritage for not just lining up with SOPA supporters and being honest about their position. It IS possible to be against piracy in general and think that SOPA is a piece of trash....
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Re: Re: Without Due Process
It's worse than that. It is a big step toward government endorsed censorship. I do not think SOPA/PIPA is a simple mistake, those who think they can dictate your thoughts and actions are never going to stop.
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Re: Re: Without Due Process
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Re: Without Due Process
"Due Process"?! What do you want next, a horst & buggy? 40 acres and a mule?
Due Process is just one of those antiquated notions Americans cling to; even though everybody knows it died at the turn of the century!
Get with the times, breathe in the fascism. You can even pick your side, be an oppressor or the oppressed.
[/trolling]
(Can't help it, damn xmas music is driving my crazy.)
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Re: Re: Without Due Process
Christmas music can actually be good, or at least really, REALLY funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiC1P8OT_Uc
You're welcome :)
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Re: Re: Re: Without Due Process
So bad, yet so good!
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Re: Re: Without Due Process
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Re:
I sense that they really felt they could push these through mostly unnoticed because it was just before the Christmas break. Having failed I can see future editions of these bills appearing the week before the break instead of the month before.
They are learning that the longer these types of bills are exposed to the light the louder the opposition gets, I don't expect them to make that mistake again.
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"Right" is just now seeing that SOPA is bad?
This is just one of the many crony capitalism projects that needs to die a quick death, a death that is hopefully as painful as possible for it's supporters so that they don't try it again for a long time.
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Re: "Right" is just now seeing that SOPA is bad?
It's worse than crony capitalism, it's corporatism verging on mercantilism. Each worse than the last.
But it does speak the truth about Lord Acton's observation that power corrupts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton#Notable_quotes_by_Lord_A cton
More than a few of his observations apply to this mess.
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Re: "Right" is just now seeing that SOPA is bad?
I am not a Conservative and I am not a Liberal though I do tend to think towards liberal.
I have been against this type of thing forever and I am 55 so I have been aware of loss of freedom for decades.
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They're just trying to save their own asses here.
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You are really on to something there. Let's blame everything upon the voters who "put them in office" as there were a plethora of choices to be made, each with its own guaranteed outcome. And as we all know, politicians never tell the voters one thing and then do the opposite.
In addition, those who take an oath prior to serving their terms never break that oath and always take the high road never succumbing to temptation of power, money, sex, drugs, etc. as they are of the highest caliber this country has to offer.
/s
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Re:
As that doesn't seem to have happened I'd make the reasonable assumption that the memo fairly reflects their stance. And as it's on their web site I'd more than say it does. Nice try though.
The tissues are directly in front of you.
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