jon Posted January 17, 2012 Posted January 17, 2012 Everyone, We have decided to close the board tomorrow in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. These pieces of legislation threaten sites that rely on user generated content, like ours, by allowing authorities to shut down websites that they feel are in violation without any due process. This is a frightening trend that cannot be ignored. More information about this can be found here... http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_blackout In closing cc.com tomorrow we hope that you join us in taking a stand and not use similar resources to get your fix. Use the time to write up the TR you've been meaning to write. Or send us an email with 10 things you'd like to see us do or improve on. Thanks for everyones understanding. - The Stuntaz Quote
ivan Posted January 17, 2012 Posted January 17, 2012 could you link the cc.com address tomorrow to a form for sending out letters to our reps? i know its somethign i should do, but haven't had the occasion to yet. Quote
Water Posted January 17, 2012 Posted January 17, 2012 i think this is awesome. you can close the forum but it'll still be icy hot when it comes back! Quote
Off_White Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 Thanks Jon, I'm behind you on this issue 100%, and I've been writing to my elected officials. Anyone in Jamie Herrera's district should write to her, she's on the side of the copyright clowns at this point in time. Quote
JBC Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 In closing cc.com tomorrow we hope that you join us in taking a stand and not use similar resources to get your fix. Use the time to write up the TR you've been meaning to write. Or send us an email with 10 things you'd like to see us do or improve on. Thanks for everyones understanding. - The Stuntaz Or call your representatives and tell them you are opposed to the bills! Jim Quote
ivan Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 Anyone in Jamie Herrera's district should write to her, she's on the side of the copyright clowns at this point in time. that chick sucks. i've written her more than a dozen times and it's always the same lame response. i'll write her a letter again on this topic, but bottom line, the beyotch needs to go! Quote
grandpa Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Everyone, We have decided to close the board tomorrow in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act ... Quote
JasonG Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Thanks for the nudge to contact my electeds regarding SOPA and PIPA....I needed it . Quote
sobo Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I sent letters to Doc Hastings and both State Senators. Only Cantwell wrote back, but I need some help from someone fluent in PoliticoSpeak to decipher the message for me. Anybody know what she's trying to say here? Dear Sobo, Thank you for contacting me about the internet streaming of copyrighted material. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue. On May 12, 2011, Senator Leahy (D-VT) introduced S. 968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (PROTECT IP) Act. While I am supportive of the goals of the bill, I am deeply concerned that the definitions and the means by which the legislation seeks to accomplish these goals will have unintended consequences and hurt innovation, job creation, and threaten online speech and security. On November 17, 2011, I signed a letter along with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) objecting to the bill as it is currently written. On December 17, 2011, Senator Wyden introduced the "Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade" (OPEN) Act (S. 2029), of which I am an original co-sponsor. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee, where it is currently awaiting further review. The OPEN Act is a more effective approach to stopping foreign web sites that are found to be primarily and willfully used to infringe intellectual property rights. The OPEN Act builds on the existing legal framework used by the International Trade Commission for addressing unfair acts in the importation of articles into the United States, or in their sale for importation, or sale within the United States after importation. Our trade laws have yet to catch up to deal with the global digital economy. The OPEN Act recognizes that the Internet has created new opportunities for foreign products to reach the U.S. market and that there is little difference between downloading a pirated movie from a foreign website and importing a counterfeit movie DVD from a foreign company. For those foreign web sites that are determined after an investigation to be primarily and willfully infringing, the International Trade Commission will issue a "Cease and Desist" order. The "Cease and Desist" order may also be served on financial intermediaries that provide services to that foreign web site, compelling financial payment processors and online advertising providers to cease doing business with the foreign site in question. This would cut off financial incentives for this illegal activity and deter these unfair imports from reaching the U.S. market. The OPEN Act addresses the same challenges as the PROTECT IP Act, while protecting freedom of speech, innovation, and security on the Internet. The challenge of rogue web sites is one that many nation's face. The United State has always been seen as a leader on Internet issues. Laws we establish in the United States regarding the Internet are likely to be used as models around the world. And because the Internet is global in nature, it is important that we carefully consider how the laws and policies we adopt in this area may be received and translated by other countries. Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. You may also be interested in signing up for periodic updates for Washington State residents. If you are interested in subscribing to this update, please visit my website at http://cantwell.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely, Maria Cantwell United States Senator Quote
AlpineK Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I think you'd have to read the OPEN Act then read SOPA/PIPA and spot the differences. Better yet a lawyer should Quote
pup_on_the_mountain Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 :tup: . Sobo, I also got the same generic response from Cantwell. No response from McMorris or Murray. What I take from Cantwell's response is that they are tabling the OPEN act in place of SOPA/PIPA. Apparently, OPEN is supposed to be more meaningful than the former acts, but the devil may well be in the details. Hopefully, we'll learn more in the near future. Quote
j_b Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 yesterday's actions appear to have been effective. Some 4.5 million people reportedly signed Google's anti-SOPA petition, while another million and a half people or so signed other major petitions and 350,000 people wrote to their Congressmembers. In all, 18 lawmakers reversed their decision on the legislation. SOPA protests Quote
sobo Posted January 20, 2012 Posted January 20, 2012 yesterday's actions appear to have been effective. Some 4.5 million people reportedly signed Google's anti-SOPA petition, while another million and a half people or so signed other major petitions and 350,000 people wrote to their Congressmembers. In all, 18 lawmakers reversed their decision on the legislation. SOPA protests Check out the title of j_b's linked article and read the first paragraph. What a fucking douchebag, this Lamar Smith. Perhaps we should string him up from a tree for copyright infringement, no? Quote
Coldfinger Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 Everyone, We have decided to close the board tomorrow in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. Congratulations on success! Quote
ivan Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 so....i suppose most reasonable folks believe in the sanctity of intellectual property - what then is the best way to preserve that in the digital era w/o imperiling the good folks here at cc.com n' wikipedia and the like? of course i dig on free music and the like as well as the next chinaman, but i must admit it seems childish to assume i can go on taking it w/o consequence... Quote
genepires Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 I admit to commenting on this without full knowledge of what sopa and pipa is really all about, but from the snipets of info I heard, the problem with it is the heavy handedness of websites simply accused of violations of intellectual property. Something like I accuse a site of stealing images and the IP address is taken away. No chance to defend yourself and other people's "crimes" will affect you as in a forum website like this. Protecting intellectual property needs to happen but it needs to happen in a way that we use for all kinds of injustices. In a court of law. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 It's basically Hollywood pissed off because they can't figure out how to make money on the web. They do this every time there's a new technology they want to control: TV, VCRs, whatev. This time they're stumped, so its off the Congress the game the system. In the age of the thousand dollar budget movies and laptop music production, perhaps Hollywood's enormous overhead is no longer justifiable. Quote
genepires Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 and the writers still get screwed whatever happens. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 Yeah. That's Hollywood's typical line: poor little writers! 'My poor little coke dealer!' should actually be the tagline. Quote
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