Did The White House Call For A New SOPA?

from the missed-that-one dept

Mon, Apr 2nd 2012 7:40am — Mike Masnick

On Friday, the White House's annual report on "IP enforcement" came out, and we noted the serious problems with the report. However, we did miss a little tidbit that Declan McCullagh picked up on. Hidden in the details of the report, it does suggest that we still need a "legislative solution" to offshore file sharing -- which was the point of SOPA/PIPA:

"We believe that new legislative and non-legislative tools are needed to address offshore infringement."

Now, the report also does reiterate what the White House said earlier during the SOPA/PIPA fight: that it would not support DNS blocking or other legislative efforts that harm the internet, but just saying that it supports some legislation at all seems pretty questionable. If anything, it's probably a wink and a nod towards Hollywood to try again, with something less overreaching. Of course, anything that's cooked up in the backrooms again simply isn't going to go over well, and (as I noted in my previous post on the report) it's a real shame that the White House doesn't even seem to acknowledge that the landscape and awareness on this issue has changed.

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Filed Under: ip czar, ipec, pipa, sopa, victoria espinel, white house

43 Comments

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weneedhelp (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 7:46am

It wont be hidden or in back rooms
It will be plain to see. A little bit here, a little bit there.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 7:49am

This is great news off shore piracy is a serious problem to shipping/tourist safety/country stability. Navel intervention with help address
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 7:55am

"We believe that new legislative and non-legislative tools are needed to address offshore infringement."

Translation:

"We need some sort of law that let's us shoot down those pesky 'pirate drones' people are talking about without any kind of due process."
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 7:56am

Heres an idea
How about the US stop trying to make laws to control the rest of the world. I don't know hardly any Americans at all that like how our government makes us all look like controlling imperialistic bastards.

How about we try to get our own laws in order first. When most of the population doesn't agree with the laws they are trying to pass to control us or anyone else in the world, how about the government consult the people and actually listen. Then we can arrive at much more reasonable laws. It would be a lot better than their current procedure of ask the public for opinions, then ignore everything they hear so they can pass some bill written by a lobbyist instead.

Or, and for the record, even when our laws do become much more reasonable instead of the copyright insanity that exists today, we STILL don't want our government trying to force our views down other country's throats.
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Nathan F (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:01am

The MPAA/RIAA subscribe to the "If at first you don't succeed, just make your backrooms deals more secretive and grease the politician's palms even more" philosophy when it comes to copyright expansion laws.
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Jay (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:02am

Re: Heres an idea
That's all great, but we have this good crony capitalist idea going and we can't let it go. It's all about the people that pay us insurmountable amounts of cash so that we can rule those poor weak bastards that can't fend for themselves.

You want an end to the war on drugs? Well, we have a ton of people that have contracts.

You want less copyright law? Well, the movie and music industry are buying us.

You can't stop a good gravy train.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:05am

I disagree, the only way Hollywood can pass something is if they do it fast in the backroom, and pressure lawmakers into voting for it before they know what's in the bill, you know, in the name of 'protecting American jobs'.

After all, it worked for the PATRIOT act, it passed 99 to 1, only becoming controversial after it was passed. But once it passed, they simply HAD to keep on extending it again and again, despite protests over it's violations of civil rights. Because otherwise terrorists would attack us again within hours according to it's supporters, and who wants to get blamed for another terrorist attack!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:18am

I don't know why they bother with legislation. Why don't they just write some spyware, embed it in a fake torrent feed wait for someone to attempt to steal a movie and have the spyware report back to them all the personal information stored on the thief's hard drive.
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Another AC, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:27am

Re:
Because it's OK if the *AA's break the law too right?
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Tux (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:28am

More legislation? Sweet! Hollywood is going to LOVE devising the all-new SOPA v2!

Will it include DNS filtering? Yes? Sweet, that supposed billions of dollars of damage will be kept out while people go find more European, Chinese and Canadian proxies so they can access "pirated" material! Amazing!

Will it involve DHS? You betcha, we're doing this for "national security". Oh, and we're throwing in the NSA, just to go piss you off.

Will it remove the 1st Amendment? You betcha, that was a stupid piece of shit George Washington did there! He certainly didn't have a brain, nor does the American public. Get used to it.

Will it fuck the DMCA whole? What was the answer? YES, YOU DUMBASS! The DMCA's takedown process makes us queasy. We want a faster way to do it, cheap, fast with no form of oversight. Like McDonalds.

Love,
--the MPAA, RIAA, and a fuckload of others.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:28am

As a U.S. citizen who demands a representative government, I do not want my government worrying about infringement at all. It's not a problem and it should not be a priority, period.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:31am

Re: Heres an idea
Can I click "Insightful" 7 or 8 times? It's amazing how many times I have to defend myself for being American. The phrase, "no, really, I hate these assholes and their draconian laws/policies as much as you do" is uttered far too often.

Remember when we used to be able to be proud to be from this country, and it stood for something, and we were the good guys? Yea, I know, it was long before I was born, but those must have been some fun times.

Now, we're given choices between John Jackson and Jack Johnson, both of whom are in the pockets of the same lobbyists, told we have a "choice," and then blamed by the rest of the world when they pull shit like this because it's our "leaders."
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Dark Helmet (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:31am

Re:
"Navel intervention with help address"

And thus was born the new ICE policy requiring all men and women in the agency wearing nothing but middrift shirts and belly button rings....
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:36am

Re:
Will it remove the 1st Amendment? You betcha, that was a stupid piece of shit George Washington did there! He certainly didn't have a brain, nor does the American public. Get used to it.

Check your history book, I think you mean George Mason.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:39am

When your only tool is a hammer, you approach every problem like it's a nail. And the only tool the US government -- particularly the Executive Branch -- has is legislation. Therefore, if Government is going to "fix" this "problem" (and really, who else can/will?), then it's going to be with legislation.

We don't need more legislation, but for the bulk of my lifetime the only concern Government has had consistently is how to expand itself, so why stop now? After all, more laws means more authority means more enforcement means more enforcers means more jobs! And who doesn't want the Government to create jobs in this economic environment?
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Tux (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:43am

Re: Re:
Sorry, I'm a bit rusty on all the books, but I still want to make the point.
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Tux (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:45am

Re:
I am just looking at all those jobs Obama is creating in government! I sure hope all of them are related to IP. Thank you Hollywood!
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Suja (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:50am

Re:
When your only tool is a hammer, you approach every problem like it's a nail.

There go my 'marching hammers' flashbacks again.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:56am

It might be a supply and demand problem. What is the number of lawyers generated in the US compared to earning. There is only a finite amount income generated therefore market needs to expand beyond US boarders to support this. Thus american laws expanding to rest of the world.

Sound theory :D
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 8:56am

even if the entertainment industries agreed to sit down with any and all other concerned parties from the tech industry to the rights groups to the people, they still wouldn't want anything less than they have been after all along, ie, total control! they wouldn't be interested in any sort of compromise or anything that gave the people a right to decide what to download from where because they wouldn't compete with the much better services that are already available.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 9:01am

Re: Re:
And orange rind smiles...
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 9:13am

Obama's White House
Given all the Obama administration has done so far that is contrary to the public interest, I am truly worried about what he'll do should he win a second term in office and need not worry any longer about being reelected.
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Rekrul, 2 Apr 2012 @ 9:14am

Re: Re:
And thus was born the new ICE policy requiring all men and women in the agency wearing nothing but middrift shirts and belly button rings....

So everyone at the agency would be sans pants and footwear?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 9:23am

Re: Obama's White House
My fears realized.
All hail King "Just call me Daddy!" Obama!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 9:27am

Re:
Agreed. Its a scare/bully tactic.

"Do you want the terrorists to win?"

"Won't someone think of the children?"

"What about American jobs?"

Build up enough false pressure and they can get legislators to pass anything.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 9:54am

Re: Re: Re:
I wouldn't have it any other way....
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:07am

" White House said earlier"
Their lying, I know because their lips are moving.

It may be an old joke but it's the truth.
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Steve R. (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:09am

Inaguaration Day 2013
The inauguration day speech will propose a "surge" to reinvigorate the "war" on piracy. It won't matter who is elected President.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:20am

Re: Heres an idea
Well, YOU don't, but obviously those whose income derives from being business morons do.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:22am

Re: Re:
Yup, they're clearly the Judges from the Megs, motherdrokker.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:23am

Re: Re:
Jackbooted marching hammers is my brand new D&D campaign Villain.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:23am

Re: Re:
Jackbooted marching hammers is my brand new D&D campaign Villain.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:28am

�'Yes, yes�but it still remains our right and our responsibility to decide.....' This is surely so. But it is also true that if you exercise that right and fulfill that responsibility in an ignorant, harsh, un-American manner, then people are entitled to call you bad citizens and fools. Even your own children are entitled to call you that."
-Kurt Vonnegut on Book Burning.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:30am

No more DNS blocking. Instead rogue offshore servers will be targeted and taken out with a cruise missile. Thus making Hollywood happy and creating new jobs in the defense industry!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:48am

Re: Re: Re:
Jackbooted Marching Hammers is the name of my Rammstein cover band.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 10:49am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Dude, that's so 2005. Now it's JackbootedMarchingHammers.tumblr.com
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 2 Apr 2012 @ 1:29pm

Re: Re: Heres an idea
I think I remember of a time when the US was great. It was back when I was in middle school and Bill Clinton was president. People seemed to like us then.

Either that or it was because I was young and not yet disillusioned with the system. Take your pick.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2012 @ 5:40pm

Re: Re: Heres an idea
Come on you American voters, you know what to do about crony capitalism. Get organised and do your duty.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2012 @ 5:10am

Re: Re: Re: Heres an idea
I was around the same age during the same period. At the time, it all seemed good, but looking back on all the things which happened right after him (economic downturn, 911 attacks, etc.), there were a lot of warning signs that his administration missed/ignored because, "hey, we're all happy right now, why ruin something like that?" It puts a bit of a tarnish on that time and his administration as a result.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 3 Apr 2012 @ 6:59am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Heres an idea
I will never in any way see 9/11 as any more than 10% his or his administration's fault. Bush and plenty of his people were very clearly warned over the course of 8 months that something was going on, and he & his ignored it. With Clinton it was something far off. With Bush it was building up and a "Hey we really need to pay attention to this", but none was paid.
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Tymon, 16 Apr 2012 @ 12:07am

Businesses outsource to other countries, pay less than minimum wage here, but it's legal. No one complains about 'lost jobs' there, because in the end, the rich fatcats are profiting more, while stealing jobs from the American public. But, heaven forbid if you do something that impacts their profits, THEN they complain about 'jobs lost due to piracy'. I love the double standard they have regarding this kind of crap.
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re
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