What We're Doing On This PIPA/SOPA Day Of Protest: Keeping You Involved

First One Down: Rep. Lee Terry Removes His Name As A SOPA Co-Sponsor

from the who's-next? dept

Wed, Jan 18th 2012 2:19am — Mike Masnick

We were wondering when our elected officials would start realizing just how toxic SOPA and PIPA have become. It appears it's happening today, along with the online protests. Rep. Lee Terry, from Nebraska -- who just last week expressed some concerns about the bill at CES, but still appeared committed to it -- has announced that he's removing his name as a co-sponsor of the bill, becoming the first US Representative to do so. Over in the Senate, Senator Jerry Moran did so way back in June -- and has since become a leading voice against PIPA. Terry's spokesperson claimed that after listening to some of the complaints, he realized that the bill just has too many problems, and could cause more harm than good -- especially for the open internet. Good for him. Now... who's next?

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Filed Under: backlash, blackouts, co-sponsors, lee terry, pipa, protect ip, protests, sopa

46 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:22am

Oh boy, just imagining how Murdoch is reacting to all that makes me feel squishy.
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- Call me Al, 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:27am
  
  Re:
  That is something that does amuse me. Murdoch's outrage could well have the opposite effect of what he means. People see his likes this legislation and so immediately becomes suspicious.
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- demented, 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:12am
  
  Re:
  It's a beautiful image! And imagining how Smith is reacting makes it even lovelier!
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anonymous, 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:50am

removing his name atm is one thing, not putting it back later (ever!), is another, particularly if he gets voted back into office. much like the arstechnica post yesterday from the MPAA which says that dns blocking is 'off the table now' but could be put back any time. in other words, temporarily remove the bits that will prevent the bill from being passed, then, once it is law, bring back those bits without anyone knowing.
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:07am
  
  Re:
  This is where the inherent dishonesty of the RIAA/MPAA and their pets politicians shine through. They say that DNS blokcing is "off the table" and most people take that to mean that it has been removed from the bill, which is not the case.
  
  By "off the table" what they mean is the provisions are still actually in the bill, but there implementation have been delayed from taking effect immediately to being implemented at a "later date" (and by later date they mean as soon as they can get them turned on).
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Violated (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:54am

Rodents
I think today I am going to be saying the same message a lot which is... Its now only rats fleeing a sinking ship.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:59am

Now see what you've done.

By blacking out the Internet (Google IS the Internet), you've destroyed Rep. Lee Terry's free speech rights, and forced him to back down.

Also, uh, tuning out to the hyperbole, vocal minority, freetards.
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- tsavory (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 3:38am
  
  Re:
  He is free to say whatever he wants.
  As long as he is in congress he has a duty to represent the people in his district.
  Apparently he felt that supporting the bill in their name was not the best choice.
  Does not mean that he personally feels one way or the other.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 3:57am
    
    Re: Re:
    Oh, sorry, I forgot the /sarcasm tag.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 4:04am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Don't worry, some of us knew that you were joking.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - tsavory (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 12:01pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Sorry just had to many trolls that really believe that way.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:55am
    
    Re: Re:
    tsavory
    Apparently he felt that supporting the bill in their name was not the best choice. Does not mean that he personally feels one way or the other.
    
    You are mistaking how congress is supposed to work and how it Actually works....
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    - tsavory (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 12:49pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Yeah I know but heck I guess sometimes a big enough out cry might make a few to decide to represent their district for once.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 4:23am

This is going to end like Twelve Angry Men, with Lamar Smith as the guy who insists on the guilty verdict right up to the end, isn't it?
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- demented, 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:13am
  
  Re:
  Yup. I hope he has a full-out tantrum and mental breakdown where everyone can see it!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
pixel8r (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 4:39am

It's gonna be a great day...
... watching all of the little men squirm and run away. I would love to see the faces of all of those who said there would not be a net blackout!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 4:51am

Shame, bully tatics to continue the free ride. Costing billions of jobs and thousands of dollars. FORSHAME.
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 4:56am
  
  Re:
  "billions of jobs"
  
  I love you.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:16am
    
    Re: Re:
    I thought it was trillions of jobs and hundreds of dollars?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - The eejit (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:59am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      No, it's job and 1.88 Jiggerwatts worth of jobs (aka 1.88 gigamatrillions of dollars.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- The Groove Tiger (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:53am
  
  Re:
  It's costing the economy 1 billion fafillion gajillion shab-ab-dood-illion ... tubes.
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  - btrussell (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:00am
    
    Re: Re:
    I believe the number you are looking for is ultillion.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:06am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      I don't know if in this specific situation this is funny, or even mildly ironic, but if you want to talk about big numbers...
      
      Googal.
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      - btrussell (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:26am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        I just made up "ultillion." I don't think I have ever heard of it before.
        
        http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ultimate
        
        Googal:
        printed emblems and advertising specialties
        
        Google googal, I got to googol.
        
        Go! Go! lolcat!
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      - The eejit (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:00am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        It's actually a googolplex-trillion of dollars wasted on Congresscritters and Senators, and it's all taxpayers money.
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:27am
  
  Re:
  How much are you going to pay the manufacturing industry for the money lost in labor trying to figure out why we can't talk to a customer or vendor?
  
  Why are you so scared of just using the tools in place already for copyright infringement issues? Those tools already exist, why don't you do your job and use it?
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:09am

And you :D

Seriously down with SOPA/PIPA
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:31am
  
  Re:
  DOWN WITH IP!!!!
  
  Down with govt established broadcasting and cableco monopolies.
  
  Down with govt established (taxi cab and other) monopolies.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Donnicton, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:12am

The media bias against Wikipedia protesting is fascinatingly palpable.

CNN has been the only somewhat decently objective source so far - the content-owned slave/joke groups such as Fox/MSNBC stop just short at overtly blaming Wikipedia for panicking over nothing, and spend more time discussing the ways to get around it than the reasons they're protesting the bill.
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:17am
  
  Re:
  Which is ironic as if SOPA PIPA pass that what peeps will be doing, saying that probably already know.
  
  Le Sigh, Stay classy FOX/MSNBC
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- gorehound (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:41am
  
  Re:
  It is a most disgusting thing........................
  to think you can Censor what was never meant for Censoring.
  This Country is not so great after all.But we knew this day was coming.Every few years over and over we keep losing our Rights.
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AJBarnes, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:25am

One for the road
People who USE the internet spoke up and let light shine on what this bill would do. The RIAA and MPAA are pissed because all that money they spent buying politicians is now in jeopardy (as well as the politicians jobs). This is a blatant attempt to prop up a failed business model in an industry that has fought innovation and change (and will do so until their dying breath).

If you're so concerned about the 'billions' of dollars lost, why not also shill for the auto industry. Do you know how many billions of dollars they lost because people steal cars? There's a study out there by the auto industry showing that for every car stolen, a sale is lost. This alone has forced most American auto makers out of business and invited in foreign competition (gasp--used the 'c' word) that now dominates the markets.
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- Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:50am
  
  Re: One for the road
  Do you know how many billions of dollars they lost because people steal cars? There's a study out there by the auto industry showing that for every car stolen, a sale is lost.
  
  This is a good point. Maybe the MPAA/RIAA should be offering its members some sort of insurance to allow them to recoup losses from theft. Their members could simply report albums/movies as stolen rather than issuing DMCA notices. Then the MPAA/RIAA could reimburse them at several thousand dollars per uploaded item. It should only take a few "recouped" losses to start un-fuzzying the -AA's collective math.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 5:54am

Mine is a big fat chicken....
http://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Server Error

The server encountered an internal error and was unable to complete your request.
Could not connect to JRun Server.

Either that, or the Senate site has been effectively /.ed
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:24am
  
  Re: Mine is a big fat chicken....
  9:22 am EST, that page loads, but v..e..r..y � � s..l..o..w..l..y.
  
  That's not my senator, but I thought I'd check 'cause my own senators' official web pages are also s..l..o..w.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:29am
    
    Re: Re: Mine is a big fat chicken....
    Error
    
    The page you have requested does not exist or is undergoing routine maintenance.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:38am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Mine is a big fat chicken....
      Finally back up ... lol....
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:43am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Mine is a big fat chicken....
        Finally back up ... lol....
        
        Confirm back up: 9:42am EST. Slight delay, but loading reasonably quickly.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:47am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Mine is a big fat chicken....
        Confirm back up: 9:42am EST. Slight delay, but loading reasonably quickly.
        
        Oops! I forgot to clear browser cache before trying again. With clear cache, it's loading s..l..o..w again. Haven't gotten complete page yet, while I'm typing this comment.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:12am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Mine is a big fat chicken....
        I was able to get my info and text in the email, but then it went to...
        Error
        
        The page you have requested does not exist or is undergoing routine maintenance.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:30am

doesn't look as if the rest are exactly falling over themselves to withdraw their sponsorship of SOPA/PIPA, does it? perhaps there are some bonus contributions being made?
and as stated above, the media are all but ignoring the web blackouts. all that's being discussed is the ways to still use those particular sites. goes to show where the benefits of internet censorship will go, where the abuse of power is being used and by whom! it sure as hell isn't by those that have gone dark!
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- Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:58am
  
  Re:
  perhaps there are some bonus contributions being made?
  
  They're being all the Ultraviolet movies they can stomach.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:34am

After visiting Wikipedia i found their app thet gives the names and phone numbers for my state reps very helpful. I entered my zip code and was able to call the Washington offices to tell them I was against sopa/pipa.

I was able to get through without a issue. Everyone who hasn't called should call.

Also, after speaking with them I get the feeling the phones are very busy today with like minded people.
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 6:46am
  
  Re:
  Also, after speaking with them I get the feeling the phones are very busy today with like minded people.
  
  You guys can't even begin to grasp how much that makes me happy.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2012 @ 7:19am

Lamar Smith: (Darth Vader emo yell) "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
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bjupton (profile), 18 Jan 2012 @ 8:32am

What's the etiquette on this? If the prospective groom breaks off the engagement, the bride can keep the ring, right? Can he keep their 'campaign contributions'?
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