The internet's on strike! Today's SOPA and PIPA protest notice.

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By Troutnut on January 18th, 2012, 5:18 am

I'm joining much of the rest of the internet today in protesting two awful pieces of pending US legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) in the Senate. Several major websites such as Wikipedia, Craigslist, and Reddit are completely blacked out today, except for pages explaining these bills' consequences. I'm not blacking out Troutnut.com, but I am straying from my focus on fly fishing to call attention to this important non-partisan issue. I have also transferred Troutnut.com's domain registration from GoDaddy to Namecheap, as part of a boycott of GoDaddy in response to their support for SOPA. I hated their TV commercials, anyway.

In a nutshell, these bills:

...are intended to stop piracy.
...won't stop piracy, nor even really slow it down.
...will undermine both commerce and free expression on the internet.

The Stanford Law Review and Electronic Freedom Foundation have two of the best explanations of why these bills are dangerous and unnecessary. We can fight online pirates without endangering everyone else's freedom.

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Most recent comments on this post (latest on top)

Doublespey	January 21st, 2012, 2:50 am
Posts: 61	I see where Rubio was an author of one of the bills, and he soon came out against it seeing it was a poorly constructed bill, and when he pulled out, a lot of other congress folks declined to support it as well. It won't pass.

Doublespey	January 19th, 2012, 9:14 am
Posts: 61	By what little I read, the boycott will work, and they are re-considering the bill. My guess is it will not pass. Seems it had to get passed quietly, or not at all.

Entoman	January 19th, 2012, 1:39 am
Site Editor Northern CA Posts: 2028	Thanks for the concise explanation of the issue at hand, Jason. Apparently this legislation was prepared without any - Heavy input from the technology sector. Complex technology legislation should not be drafted by someone who barely has a working knowledge of the internet... But they're tampering with a very complex system, and they must do so with extreme caution to avoid unintended consequences and loopholes that endanger law-abiding internet users and websites. I'm afraid that cat is out of the bag, my friend. Substitute nouns in the above quote for almost any topic you can think of, and the obvious truth of it glares at you. This has been going on for a lot longer then any of us have been around. Every now and then the people rise up and put a stop to it. Just often enough to give us hope...
	"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman

Troutnut	January 18th, 2012, 5:55 pm
Administrator Fairbanks, AK Posts: 2133	Luckily, the White House promised a few days ago to oppose this legislation in its current form and (implicitly) to veto it if it passed. Here's their statement: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet The blackout went forward because the White House's statement doesn't completely kill these bills, just their current form. Everyone is rightfully worried that Congress will make a few small, superficial changes to try to appease the critics, then pat themselves on the back and pass the new bills enthusiastically. But the problems with these bills run deep, and they need to be radically improved with much more input from the people in the tech industry who actually understand how the internet works. The blackout went forward in hopes that increased media and public attention will force more careful scrutiny of future versions of these bills. I'm not opposed to having some improved new measures to combat foreign-based piracy. But they're tampering with a very complex system, and they must do so with extreme caution to avoid unintended consequences and loopholes that endanger law-abiding internet users and websites. The technical analysis on Reddit provided the best list of criteria I've seen for constructing replacement legislation: 1. Airtight, technically sound definitions. 2. Heavy input from the technology sector. Complex technology legislation should not be drafted by someone who barely has a working knowledge of the internet. 3. Checks and balances ensuring that due-process can be invoked before, during, and after any action is taken. 4. Clear repercussions for entities utilizing the legislation in an abusive manner. Several analyses have also pointed out that the MPAA/RIAA claims of economic damage and job loss in the USA due to copyright infringement are overblown and unsubstantiated. It's a problem worth dealing with, but not a pressing need, and certainly not a crisis worthy of a hasty reaction that puts important freedoms at risk.
	Jason Neuswanger The Troutnut

GldstrmSam	January 18th, 2012, 5:11 pm
Fairbanks, Alaska Posts: 193	This is definitely a different bill. It is a true mosaic out there of "Blue and Red" on both sides. I want to know where our president stand on this one. I heard that Rubio actually co-sponsored this bill. If the guy who co-sponsored this bill is switching sides that should say alot!!
	There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus

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