Andy Samberg, Neil Gaiman, Trent Reznor, Aziz Ansari, Adam Savage & More Tell Congress: Don't Pass PIPA Or SOPA In Our Names

from the protecting-artists? dept

Wed, Jan 18th 2012 9:08am — Mike Masnick

A group of some pretty damn famous people within the entertainment industry just made it clear that the folks pushing PIPA and SOPA do not represent their best interests. To hear the MPAA and the US Chamber of Commerce tell the story, they're pushing these bills in order to "protect artists." But more and more we're seeing the very artists they claim they're protecting say they want no part of these laws. The guys from The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer), famous both for their YouTube videos and their work on NBC's Saturday Night Live, along with a number of other notable names in the entertainment industry -- including Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer, Trent Reznor, Aziz Ansari, Adam Savage, Damian Kulash (and the rest of OK GO), the band MGMT, and a bunch more -- have written a letter saying that, as internet users, they don't think these bills are a good idea:

We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services - artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result.

We are deeply concerned that PIPA and SOPA’s impact on piracy will be negligible compared to the potential damage that would be caused to legitimate Internet services. Online piracy is harmful and it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of censoring creativity, stifling innovation or preventing the creation of new, lawful digital distribution methods.

We urge Congress to exercise extreme caution and ensure that the free and open Internet, upon which so many artists rely to promote and distribute their work, does not become collateral damage in the process.

When even the very people that the entertainment industry insists its "protecting" with these bills are being quite vocal against them, you have to wonder why they're being pushed so hard? Once again, it seems that these bills aren't about protecting artists at all. They're about protecting the gatekeepers, who want to control those artists...

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: adam savage, amanda palmer, andy samberg, aziz ansari, neil gaiman, pipa, protect ip, sopa, trent reznor

37 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Jed, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:11am

Those who can, innovate. Those who can't, legislate.
"They're about protecting the gatekeepers, who want to control those artists"

Duh.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mel (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:16am

And those who can't legislate, buy legislators.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Simon, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:18am

How I know Wikipedia isn't working...
...the MPAA can't use it to tell the difference between theft and copyright infringement.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Suja (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:25am

Re: How I know Wikipedia isn't working...
not just them, alot of people can't

just try and go any art community site, say that and see how far you'll get
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jed, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:33am

Re:
Unfortunately, at this point, I group the 2 together. Those who officially put things up to be voted on and do the voting are little more than middle men for those who really are pushing for these things (like the MAFIAA in this case).

Funny, they went from middle men for people to middle men for corporations (who some idiots fight should be treated like people!).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
GMacGuffin (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:34am

Lloyd Freaking Kaufman
Alls I know is that if Troma speaks up, it's gotta be bad.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
gorehound (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:35am

Re: Those who can, innovate. Those who can't, legislate.
http://pingree.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=734%3Acongresswoman-pi ngree-opposes-sopa&catid=8%3Abreaking-news&Itemid=1&Itemid=
Chellie Pingree in Maine is against Censorship.She will fight for our Constitution.
This whole issue is a lot more than just the asshole studios.It is about Big Money & Lobbying and the Government getting to control what it never was meant to.
These Bills pass then I hope we see an "Internet Revolt".
SOPA/PIPA = WAR

I am an artist who shares my music freely thru various means including public trackers.
Fuck You Big Content !! You can never control artists like em anyways cause we have always hated you and your ripoff ways.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:35am

And this is why we should cut the middlemen.

Literally.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

Loki, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:38am

This

Geez, the sense of entitlement of these pirate lovers knows no bounds. I wonder how much Google is paying these people to astroturf for them.

Thank you for playing, but as usual it's a FAIL.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
mike allen (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:47am

wondered when the trols would turn up bet they are miffed today internet 2 MAFIAA 0
[ link to this | view in thread ]
btrussell (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:05am

"They're about protecting the gatekeepers, who want to control those artists..."
...and censorship for the government as well.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:06am

Re:
internet 2 MAFIAA 0

Better check your scorecard again.

�Supreme Court upholds copyright law� by Mark Sherman, AP, Jan 18, 2012:

�.�.�.�. The justices said in a 6-2 decision Wednesday that Congress acted within its power to give protection to works that had been in the public domain.�.�.�.

The public domain just took another hit.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
DannyB (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:08am

If this is about foreign web sites, or rogue web sites . . .
then why is Viacom suing YouTube?

YouTube is not foreign. So it must be a 'rogue' website.

If SOPA passes, expect any web site, like TechDirt, that complains about the corruption of congress or the damage caused by the dinosaur businesses to be classified as a rogue web site.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:10am

Great news! My response to this:

(cue Austin Powers voice) "Yeah, baby, yeah!"
[ link to this | view in thread ]
DannyB (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:12am

Herein lies the problem
> We urge Congress to exercise extreme caution and ensure
> that the free and open Internet, upon which so many
> artists rely to promote and distribute their work,
> does not become collateral damage in the process.

Ah, but that's the very problem.

Destroying the Internet will force those artists to turn back to the dinosaur monopolies in order to distribute their work under Hoolywood Accounting rules.

Congress' paymasters (the **AA holes) don't want a free and open internet where artists can distribute their work.

Next up: we must outlaw the dreaded Creative Commons license!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike C. (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:12am

But it's about the artists....
NOT! I like the way Wil Wheaton put it today:

"I am 100% opposed to SOPA and PIPA, even though I'm one of the artists they were allegedly written to protect. I've probably lost a few hundred dollars in my life to what the MPAA and RIAA define as piracy, and that sucks, but that doesn't come close to how much money I've lost from a certain studio's creative accounting."
(emphasis mine)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike C. (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:15am

Another succint way of putting it...
And here is yet another succint way of putting things in perspective:

It's stupid, careless, and arrogant to go after people who are working in the shadows and end up turning the lights off on everybody else.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
bongo houzi (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:17am

Re: Re:
down the wormhole we go
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cammy, 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:24am

Strolling on the internet, Googling "shit". Then I find out everything was gone. I was all "Man where did all the shit go?" then I found out PIPA and SOPA took it and THREW IT ON THE GROUND!!!
They took away our rights! I don't wanna be a part of this fucked up System, MAAAAN!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
LBishop PhD (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 10:38am

oppressive forces at work here
What concerns the proponents of these bills is a perfect example of what will be our downfall. Greed, man, they are filled with greed. They really believe the creative spark that was drawn upon to create whatever it is that they now claim could be taken from or not rightfully credited was only theirs to draw upon.

There is NO ORIGINAL THOUGHT, only the universal source which all draw upon. Ever notice how many hands develop seemingly from the same idea pool at once? Do we really think that was coincidence? None of any of this is yours or mine to begin with.

There is no such thing as piracy-there is NOTHING to pirate. Our decisions based upon greed will ultimately all fail- when there is no one left to buy creative vision, then what? When the greedy are all left with their piles of money and no one to buy and sell then what? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer up until the point when there is no one left with any money to line the rich mans pockets. Will greed end then? Will there be anyone left to cry for that song or performance or great idea that "belonged" to someone!

There will come a day when those who scream for protection now will regret wasting so much of their precious lives here on earth protecting that which was never theirs to protect:guarding against villains which never existed, and squandering time finding any new means to repress a free exchange of information and technology for the sake of perceived financial gain.
When, instead, they could have loved life and their contribution to it.

True prosperity can exist ultimately ONLY in the absence of oppression. Although it may appear that these conditions co-exist, it is only temporary. One must decrease as the other grows and this can be seen in a broader spectrum. If we, as a people, are going to pass any more laws which serve to shut down the natural organic expansion of a free market, we must accept our responsibility as an oppressive force which seeks failure on a grand scale.

Why would anyone co-sign such a death sentence? It takes courage to NOT BE GREEDY in the US today. But if we can face it head on without delusion and see it for what it is, truly, I do not believe any one of us , to a man, would choose failure, oppression, despair and death over prosperity. Everything else is folly.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Michael Langford, 18 Jan 2012 @ 11:04am

They already failed.
People who know how will still be able to find their websites... and people will continue to download what they want. All this will accomplish is to further prove that the US government is a danger to the world and should be be trusted by no one.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Loki, 18 Jan 2012 @ 11:06am

Re: But it's about the artists....
That whole piece is a really good read. My favorite rebuttal to one of Dodd's comment's:

Except for the part where this is completely false, it�s a valid point.

I may start using that when the trolls come rolling in.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dementia (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 11:40am

Re:
Your post makes no sense, please clarify.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The eejit (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 12:03pm

Re:
Can we use bog-standard kitchen knives (not chef-style knives, actual butter knives)?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The eejit (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 12:05pm

Re: oppressive forces at work here
tl;dr There is no OC, so why give a few people power over all?

It's like trying to give a stoat a mouse that, when eaten, will end the world.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
SlinkySlim (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 1:23pm

Re: Re:
The above AP link is a pooper.
Here's one: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts-law/supreme-court-upholds-law-that-extended-copyright- protection-to-foreign-works/2012/01/18/gIQArWi47P_story.html

And now my understanding of just what copyright is for has taken another hit.

I'm really starting to really not give two hoots about your copyrights and that moves down to two shits if you own any copyrights to works created by dead people.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Coyote, 18 Jan 2012 @ 1:24pm

Re: Re:
Loki doesn't often make much sense. If he did, I'd be out of a job!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
btrussell (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:02pm

Re: Re: Re:
Maybe you two need to read more carefully. Pretend there is a /sarc after "them."

Does that help?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jenn, 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:09pm

Response to: Loki on Jan 18th, 2012 @ 9:38am
I'm sorry, this isn't about loving pirates, it's about a potential abuse of these acts. They will violate your 1st amendment rights if you blog that you didn't like something the government did. It takes away free speech. It's bad enough NDAA was snuck right under our noses at the end of the year.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
btrussell (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:19pm

Re: Response to: Loki on Jan 18th, 2012 @ 9:38am
You three?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:38pm

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xjisu18X6s7lPtAsIQg5Ol3KJjymPT2az1kasQVwGiw/edit?pli=1
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:59pm

Ummmmm, no offense Mike but those people, except maybe Trent Reznor, aren't really that high profile. If George Clooney or Lady Gaga or Eddie Murphy came out and said something then it would be newsworthy. Those other guys beside Reznor are at best C-listers.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcel de Jong (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 2:48am

Re: Re:
I'd start with nail clippers
[ link to this | view in thread ]
martyburns (profile), 19 Jan 2012 @ 5:33am

Re:
Those other guys beside Reznor are at best C-listers.

So? Only A-listers matter? Im pretty sure they still make close to 100% of their money in the creative industries that the MPAA and RIAA say they are working for.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The Luke Witnesser, 19 Jan 2012 @ 6:38am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIuYgIvKsc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzS5rSvZXe8

The truth behind why these big companies responsible for SOPA and PIPA are also responsible for piracy itself is far more insidious than even TechDirt realizes.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Gary, 19 Jan 2012 @ 11:55am

Re: Re:
Congress first Supreme Court next.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 20 Jan 2012 @ 4:47pm

Andy Samberg, Neil Gaiman, Trent Reznor, Aziz Ansari, Adam Savage don't think these bills are a good idea. Good! So do the rest of the thinking world.
Nice letter, but will be ignored if it doesn't contain thick wads of dollar bills though. The US congress are all about drafting legislation submitted from the highest bidder after all.
[ link to this | view in thread ]