The Internet Wins: PIPA & SOPA Delayed
from the there-we-go dept
The writing has been on the wall for a long, long time, but now it's finally official. Harry Reid has announced that he will not move forward with PIPA and Lamar Smith has announced the same thing about SOPA. Both are listed as "delayed" and there's always a chance that they will come back in some form (potentially even nastier), but hopefully those on Capitol Hill have learned a big lesson about trying to mess with the internet... and what happens when you cut backroom deals to help one industry at the expense of the public.
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Filed Under: blackouts, internet, lamar smith, patrick leahy, pipa, protect ip, protests, sopa
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More like a certainty.
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Fixed that for ya.
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You people might have fooled gullible punters on Facebook with your lies on Wednesday, but the facts are quickly coming out.
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Ohhh. Does that mean we will see actual proof of the economic harms from the activities that these bills targeted?
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Bring em on, shilltard.
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I'll hold off for now.
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Re: I'll hold off for now.
the other side of this is the tech companies. once they get a taste of lobbying, it is going to be hard to stop them. google and facebook will start to understand that certain laws that limit them (and their revenues) need to go away. smaller competitors start to feel squeezed by new laws and so on.
the problem here is the process by which our laws are created. our legislators are just regular guys (with really big egos, granted) who want to do the right thing. but when the people they talk to have something to sell and they couch it in terms of "for the children" and prop it up with campaign contributions, these voices drown out the rest of us. it isn't until we get really pissed off and shove it down their throats like we did on wednesday do they really take notice.
now everyone will go back lick their wounds and strategize this all over again. the associations will reassess and consult with the lobbyists. the lobbyists will figure out how to rephrase this to our legislators so that is sounds good again. and the whole thing starts all over. this will never die until our culture changes to a degree where these people become irrelevant a la the buggy whip makers association.
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Re: I'll hold off for now.
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There, I double-tapped a Congressional Bill.
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Created Facebook group called Boycott Big Content
Coded my main domain of bigmeathammer to mirror the Anonymous Videos
Coded Anti Censorship Rant into the home page
Telling all my friends and family
#Will continue to post on Newspaper sites,etc.
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Where do we go from here?
So how do we stay vigilant and make sure these bills don't return, or that someone doesn't add four words into some other bill that sneaks this through?
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Re: Where do we go from here?
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Was too slow
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As the Internet already successfully deals with this topic in self-censorship then this is clearly some nasty idea hidden under a "protect the children" concept.
"No UN inspector this is not a nuclear warhead but a flying paedophile killer! We must all work hard to protect the children"
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We just can't trust our government anymore. Too much corruption. Too much greed. Too much ignorance and stupidity.
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Thank you, Mike.
While many other assist and help out, in hindsight, you can usually say that "this person was key".
Thank you, Mike.
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Re: Thank you, Mike.
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Re: Thank you, Mike.
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Re: Thank you, Mike.
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Re: Re: Thank you, Mike.
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Re: Thank you, Mike.
We won't forget it.
Trust me.
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Re: Re: Thank you, Mike.
You should throw a dinner party!
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Re: Re: Re: Thank you, Mike.
He keeps a live mouse in his pants pocket to offset....um....deficiencies.
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Re: Re: Thank you, Mike.
Oh, wait...
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Re: Re: Thank you, Mike.
Sounds to me like you are calling him a liar and threatening him as well.
I hope a judge determines whether this is true or not soon.
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Re: Re: Thank you, Mike.
Or do you suffer from split personalities? Voices that whisper in your head?
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"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
We must not relax or let down our guard. To do so would be futile and would undermine our efforts.
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The man who did not like copyright.
The one that thought that you can't patent an idea.
The man of the hour, and a true founding Father:
Thomas Jefferson
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now that it's delayed everyone will just go to their holes and forget about the whole thing
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Re: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
On topic, you are right. There is a huge chance that this scenario will come back in any moment. And we have to be ready for it, more than we were for SOPA/PIPA.
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Sadly, I find that thought a little too optimistic for government. Crony Capitalism is still alive and well in Washington and state and local governments. While we have been able to throw a monkey wrench into the works of this particular incarnation of crony capitalism, there are still thousands of more incarnations currently in effect and seeking to become law.
As a whole, we need to be more vigilant on all fronts and fight crony capitalism in all its incarnations. Whether it is a law that protects incumbent taxi cab companies, interior designers, florists, funeral homes, or whatever else might be seeking unfair protectionist measures against competition.
So keep up the good fight and defend liberty for all people.
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Don't our current laws do enough?
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You must be one of them !!!!
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Right now somewhere in Washington some high class escort or young secretary paid and bought by the MAFIAA is on her knees in some Senators office earning a very special favor.
Meanwhile down the hall some nameless person dressed in black is quietly explaining to a separate Senator why a YES VOTE for PIPA and SOPA would be beneficial to his family.
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Trickery
This to me only reads like they want to delay now so that the public heat cools down. Then it is only wait until the one key day when the public are distracted to slip it into law while everyone is left thinking "WTF just happened there?"
So this turns one decisive vote and quick resolution into the vast job of having to closely watch them for weeks or months to see if PIPA and SOPA start to move.
Please just kill them.
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Re: Trickery
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Dead in the current form
I believe the future debate must shift from 'internet regulation' to true IP reform. Congress needs to understand that copyright designed in the analog world doesn't translate to the digital world. You can't create artificial scarcity in a world that creates supply exactly equal to demand.
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#StarveTheBeast
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re
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follow through, or it's all for nothing
What does happen? You get delayed by a few months?
They haven't learned their lesson yet, not while Reid, Smith and the rest of the pro-SOPA/PIPA gang are still in office. If we don't want these Acts to come back in a few months, we must follow through. Reid and Smith must never win another election, and the corporate backers should suffer for years. Ideally, all politicians who voiced strong support for these Acts should lose their next elections, and I'd like to cull the late-changers and fence-sitters too. And if I could have three wishes, there'd be a boycott waiting for whoever hires Reid or Smith when they leave Congress.
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Thanks to mike and the techdirt team for their coverage on this.
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It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it might be the end of the beginning."
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The trolls have gone awfully quiet of late?
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Re: The trolls have gone awfully quiet of late?
The people and the internet got organized and made their voices heard. Then came the statements from various representatives reconsidering their positions.
So the trolls were pretty much wrong about everything they were saying leading up to things. They can't come back and troll right away, cause we'll throw their own words/stupidity in their faces.
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Re: Re: The trolls have gone awfully quiet of late?
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Re: Re: The trolls have gone awfully quiet of late?
Luie's, drinking with what's left of their
pay for trollin'?
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That said, I don't believe that this legislation was meant to pass in it's current form. It was meant to get us worked up so they can come back with a compromise that will look good by comparison but if initially proposed would be called draconian.
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Vigilance
This bill has been tabled, but it will raise its ugly hydra-headed attack on the Constitution in the future.
Be vigilant.
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Its not over yet...
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Mike + Wyden
Without the two of them, I'm thoroughly convinced PIPA would already have been passed, and SOPA would be well on its way.
To be sure, there were many other people who were necessary in this fight. But I just wanted give those two some quick praise.
Thanks, guys.
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Are You Kidding?
______________________________________
...but hopefully those on Capitol Hill have learned a big lesson about trying to mess with the internet... and what happens when you cut backroom deals to help one industry at the expense of the public.
______________________________________
Now, maybe you're correct about messing with the Internet, though I think you spectacularly underestimate the appetite of politicians for control of everything, but particularly control of information.
But on the second point (cutting backroom deals favoring one industry over others and the public) this is a fantastically ludicrous statement. THIS is what Congress does and this is what greases the wheels of politics in America. Were you dead asleep when the Obamacare legislation was rammed through Congress? And that is only one, admittedly highly conspicuous, example.
Just saying that when someone makes naive statements like the one I've quoted above, it makes it difficult to take anything else you write or say seriously.
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And you guys believe them?
Do we really believe they will not say one thing and do another?
I will believe both have been delayed when their voting date has passed. Until them, we have to keep the heat up, or increase it even more to make sure they will not go up for a vote.
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End copyright and it ends the threat to democracy at least for the next 10 years.
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Seen this before.....
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I give Mike the credit for this kill
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who are you trying to kid? what lessons have they learned in the past? none! the same thing does come back. they just try to slide it in on the end of another piece of less offensive legislation, hoping that no one notices until it's too late!
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Government has a habit of trying to pick winners and losers, all of the time with poor results for the tax payer.
This is why it is necessary to starve the government of it life blood, cash from taxes.
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"I encourage him to continue engaging with all stakeholders to forge a balance between protecting Americans� intellectual property, and maintaining openness and innovation on the internet. We made good progress through the discussions we�ve held in recent days, and I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks.�
Piracy isn't going to be legalized. Wake up to reality.
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Why not? Serious question here.
Something like half the US population are now coming around to the idea of legalized marijuana due to the fact that ever increasing enforcement against it has done absolutely nothing, except to cost us taxpayers more and more money.
If piracy is truly a businees model problem and not and enforcement problem (which I believe it is) why would legalizing piracy for individual consumption be such stretch? If people really want your content and enjoy it, they will compensate you, regardless if piracy is legal or not, even if it's only because they want you to produce more.
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This is a short-term win at best. Don't celebrate yet.
We still need to make sure that AT LEAST Lamar Smith in the House and Patrick Leahy in the Senate, if not every single sponsor and supporter of the bills whom hasn't since stepped down, no longer has their seats after the next election. While the article may make Lamar Smith SOUND like he's no longer a sponsor or supporter, not only is it very likely he still supports it, but don't forget he's the one who introduced SOPA in the first place.
Furthermore, we need a constitutional amendment that bans corporations from giving political donations, lobbying government and drafting legislation, and provides heavy penalties for both the corporations themselves and politicians/political candidates who accept the corporate campaign donations or introduce corporate-written/corporate-backed legislation.
We won the battle, but the war is far from over.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
- Thomas Jefferson
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Re: This is a short-term win at best. Don't celebrate yet.
The election is almost around the corner, so it is important for the future career of any RIAA/MPAA funded politico to at least seem to respect the will of the people they pay lip service of representing. But 2013 is an entire new ball game! Three years to pass unpopular bills and then one year to feed bullshit via corporate owned media to the voters. TV induced amnesia is a powerful tool after all.
As for corporations that more or less openly bribe the pols, they have been recognized by the highest legal court to be real citizens. Far more amoral, unethical and downright psychopathic than the average corporal citizen, but citizens none the less.
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No, the victory is temporary-the war goes on
We have to be aware that these people are in it for the power, nothing else. Vote them all out, and we might see a different playset afterwards.
Until we replace all of the main players who pushed these bills to their resting place, we won't get rid of the problem.
Lamar Smith has to go. Harry Reid has to go. Those are the top two that have got to be unseated for these bills to really die.
Get involved in the voting and then you'll see some change.
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However, as many have pointed out, this is -a- victory, not assurance of safety. What is really needed is proactive legislation by people with actual knowledge of the technologies involved that both effectively targets the stated problems, and preempts further attempts at broad, vaguely-worded, freedom-of-speech-hampering legislation by the same interests that fabricated SOPA and PIPA.
Take heart, keep active, and remember that no matter how much cynicism you hear, it is the truth that these people only have as much power as we give them.
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PIPA/SOPA
Dear Sir,
You sponsored and later withdrew the PIPA copyright law in the U.S. Senate. I would like to offer a few thoughts on the same subject.
In 1934, Disney made a short "talkie" cartoon film "Steamboat Willie" with Mickey Mouse. Anyone viewing this should bow very deeply, because that wretched little cartoon mouse will be copyright for centuries! How that squares with the clear Constitutional requirement that copyrights be granted for "limited times" is no mystery: Congress just makes up laws as it goes along, depending on what greedy media lawyers and their clients want.
Nobody approves of the flagrant distribution of copyright works for profit, as in the case of the group just arrested and shut down in New Zealand; they got what they deserved. However, it's important to note that about a third of the users of that group were innocent people storing personal and business material and not violating any copyrights at all.
Copyright law is a difficult exercise in choosing between a restricted monopoly for limited times as the Constitution demands, and the public interest. Congress has failed miserably in that job; instead they have just stampeded in the direction of the biggest "campaign contributions."
Copyright reminds me about the two Kings: Dr. Martin Luther King the Afro-American cleric and speaker, whose memorial holiday we just observed, and Mr. Stephen King the novelist.
It's now perfect feasable and cheap to copy Mr. King's popular and widely-read novels, violate his copyright, and distribute his works online, or in other electronic form. But there would be no point! His works are widely available in printed or electronic form at reasonable prices; they can be borrowed from public libraries, and bought and sold second-hand without any problem at all. A good, proven, copyright business model protects his interests far better than any Congressional manipulation of copyright. But media interests and their mouthpieces in Congress have fought tooth and claw to cripple the public interest limitations of copyright law, public library access and limited copyright terms especially.
In the case of Dr. King, his important and profound writings and speeches are copyright for ridiculously long times, locked up in vaults somewhere, little noticed and remembered. No one objects to his heirs making a few occasional dollars from them, but the occasions will be very few as time goes on. In the process, important facts of history will be forgotten.
Congress still has a lot of work to do about copyright; please keep the public interest in mind as you go about it.
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We have to keep the pressure on Congress, but the next step is a boycott of the big industry players. Don't go to the movies, don't buy any music from mainstream artists, don't buy DVDs of the big Hollywood blockbusters. Send that cash to independent creative types instead - not only do they need the money more, but they're also our allies in this fight. Pushing Congress will only do so much: we need to hit the big media conglomerates in the pocket book, and keep doing it until they realize that the only solution is to back down and accept that they don't get to bully the rest of us. That if they want to make money they have to deliver quality products in an accessible format, and that it's innovation - not lawyers - that will let them profit in the digital age.
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ITS NOT OVER!
ITS NOT OVER!
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Re: ITS NOT OVER!
http://torrentfreak.com/while-house-petitioned-to-investigate-mpaa-bribery-120122/
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