Thanks to all who supported the SOPA/PIPA blackout which was the main page of WUWT for 24 hours.
The thread is here, should you wish to comment further.
It appears to have been a success, as many dropped support. A total of thirteen senators announced their opposition to PIPA today, plus many in the House as well. Senator Inhofe saw the light when it was pointed out to him that SOPA/PIPA would likely damage the climate skeptic movement. My own congressman Wally Herger got schooled as well.
From wire sources:
Republican senator from Florida Marco Rubio, previously a sponsor, said there were legitimate concerns about the impact of the bill on access to the Internet, and about the “potentially unreasonable expansion of the federal government’s power to impact the Internet,” Ars Technica reported
Forbes reported that Mr Rubio had written on his Facebook page that congress should listen to these concerns and avoid rushing through a bill which could have “many unintended consequences.”
Yeah, it’s those “unintended consequences” of poorly thought out legislation that we all have to live with. That’s a primary reason we fight attempts to legislate climate change.
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No need for official government censoring, Google has been doing it for years.
http://www.infowars.com/google-is-already-using-sopa-like-censorship/
Who needs SOPA/PIPA
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/19/us-government-megaupload-piracy-indictment
Anonymous strikes back, takes out Department of Justice site and more…
http://gizmodo.com/5877679/anonymous-kills-department-of-justice-site-in-megaupload-revenge-strike
@TomT says:
January 19, 2012 at 2:54 pm” I just don’t get. Why on earth are people opposed to protecting intellectual property rights?”
When copywrites last as long as patents, cost as much as patents, and copywrite holders have to protect their IPs as patent holders have to and pay the fees to keep their rights as patent holders have to. Then I might have some sympathy towards their protection. pg
False assumption. IP protection is the NOMINAL goal of the legislation, its “cover”. But it provides tools that go deep into suppression of information distribution. That’s the problem.
If it wasn’t for people ripping off DOS, we would never have heard of DOS nor Bill Gates. Wide distribution often creates the demand for a product and the opportunity to reap profit, than otherwise. Many people made DOS popular, who just could not afford to purchase the many versions. I believe Gates is one of the wealthiest men BECAUSE of file sharing. He is also the one who complains the most. In addition, he ripped off other people’s programs to add to his. GK
Article explains why Democrats support PIPA …
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/throwing-hollywood-under-the-bus-could-pay-dividends-for-gop.ars
Throwing Hollywood under the bus could pay dividends for GOP
Published January 22, 2012 8:00 PM UTC – by Timothy B. Lee | Posted in: Law & Disorder
When the Internet went on strike, 16 GOP Senators came out against the PROTECT IP Act. We talk to two conservatives who argue the debate gives Republicans a golden opportunity to align themselves with the tech sector.