its crazy how nerds that basically run the internet can have a louder voice than either the tea party, occupy wall street, or the RIAA and MPAA.

I think other protest groups can learn from the fact that the anti sopa people have a clear message and a specific prescribed course of action. OWS would have been more successful if they were pushing more achievable goals earlier.

1/18/2012 8:53:05 AM

OWS is still ongoing in multiple cities, and if I were you I'd expect a resurgence in the Spring. But yeah everyone uses wikipedia so it has an impact when wikipedia goes offline.

[Edited on January 18, 2012 at 8:57 AM. Reason : .]

1/18/2012 8:57:11 AM

I did my share of making phone calls and contacting my representatives/senators... How about you?

1/18/2012 10:58:25 AM

I did.

1/18/2012 11:10:11 AM

I submitted statements through my rep's and senators' websites

1/18/2012 11:15:03 AM

Quote :

"I'd expect a resurgence in the Spring"

[Edited on January 18, 2012 at 11:20 AM. Reason : SOPA and OWS]

Quote :

"its crazy how nerds that basically run the internet can have a louder voice than either the tea party, occupy wall street, or the RIAA and MPAA"

RIAA and MPAA have been at this for years. i must admit i'm a little concerned that the populace will lose interest after today is over. I was training 2 coworkers yesterday and one of them mentioned seeing the message on Wikipedia - neither one of them had heard about it prior to that at all. Google, Wiki, et al will continue to pay attention since it affects their business, but the older, more entrenched businesses have been able to get pretty much what they want for years.


[Edited on January 18, 2012 at 11:26 AM. Reason : .]

1/18/2012 11:20:35 AM

"Why is it that when Republicans and Democrats need to solve the budget and the deficit, there's deadlock, but when Hollywood lobbyists pay them $94 million dollars to write legislation, people from both sides of the aisle line up to co-sponsor it?"

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000067904

1/18/2012 11:30:35 AM

This is a good day for weeding out the fuckers in both parties. Dodd and Leahy in particular better watch out come re-election.

1/18/2012 11:59:08 AM

^
Dodd isn't up for re-election. He's been head of the MPAA since March.

Quote :

"In February 2011, despite "repeatedly and categorically insisting that he would not work as a lobbyist,"[22][23] Dodd was identified by The New York Times as the likely replacement for Dan Glickman as chairman and chief lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).[24] The hiring was officially announced on March 1, 2011.[25]"

1/18/2012 12:05:07 PM

^ beat me to it

It took Dodd less than three months to go from 30 year Senator to head of the MPAA.

1/18/2012 12:05:49 PM

¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦¦¦

1/18/2012 2:00:48 PM

I just wish that this backlash will lead to a "oh hey, regulatory capture is everywhere" moment among the hivemind.

Because seriously, this isn't the first time such an awful piece of regulation has been proposed.

1/18/2012 10:36:59 PM

^ yeah i don't think people realize just how much regulation is written by the people who need the regulating the most.

1/18/2012 10:40:09 PM

1/18/2012 11:04:13 PM

The core of all this is DVDs vs Digital Delivery. Motion picture companies would much rather make money selling DVDs than earning a portion of Netflix fees or Apple's digital distribution. They are massively invested in their outdated retail infrastructure, and they don't want to adapt to digital delivery. For them, that means a dramatic reduction in the size of their company and dividends.

A quantifiable reduction in piracy is incidental to the true goals of these companies.

1/19/2012 1:06:57 AM

Tech companies need to do a better job of lobbying.

If it's a choice between tech companies and old media, then tech companies should win every time. One industry is one of the few bright spots of innovation driving the country forwards, and the other is a bunch of dick bags who pump out mostly shit.

1/19/2012 1:29:47 AM

5 bucks says these assholes in congress will keep listening to "expert opinion" (hollywood lobbyist money) and pass this garbage anyways.

1/19/2012 1:43:17 PM

Quote :

"^ yeah i don't think people realize just how much regulation is written by the people who will profit the most."

FTFY

1/19/2012 2:02:59 PM

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120120/14472117492/mpaa-directly-publicly-threatens-politicians-who-arent-corrupt-enough-to-stay-bought.shtml

Quote :

"Chris Dodd: "Those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,""

1/21/2012 1:02:57 PM

i was about to post that. what a motherfucker.

1/21/2012 1:07:42 PM

These protesters don't understand. The more you protest, the more you shift the narrow window in which debate is allowed. By bringing this issue to the forefront of national politics, the protesters have guaranteed that a bipartisan "compromise" will be passed that will be just as draconian as the original measure. After a prominent nationwide protest, the government can no longer back down or quietly shelve these bills. They MUST now pass stringent copyright protections, likely within the month.

[Edited on January 21, 2012 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2012 1:11:12 PM

Quote :

"If it's a choice between tech companies and old media, then tech companies should win every time. One industry is one of the few bright spots of innovation driving the country forwards, and the other is a bunch of dick bags who pump out mostly shit."

Not to mention it's shit that keeps a majority of the population in the dark ages and away from educating themselves.

1/21/2012 1:51:37 PM

I wrote a personal appeal to my Representative in SC, who happens to sit on the House Judiciary committee. Here is what "he" said:

Quote :

"December 19, 2011 Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate hearing from you. SOPA gives the United States Attorney General the ability to seek a court order to block U.S. access to foreign Internet sites dedicated to committing or facilitating online piracy. It also gives an intellectual property rights-holder, an owner of intangible assets like music, literary works and inventions, possible legal relief against both U.S. and foreign sites dedicated to infringement. The rights-holder may first contact the infringing site's payment processors and advertising services and then pursue a court order if necessary. This legislation has been referred to the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, on which I have the privilege to serve. As technology continues to advance, it is important to protect intellectual property. However, we must ensure that any protections are specifically targeted, and do not unfairly restrict the rights of others. I appreciate your concerns about the possible effects SOPA will have on Internet content. As the Judiciary Committee considers this legislation, I will certainly keep your opposition to SOPA in mind. Thank you again for contacting me, and please do not hesitate to do so in the future. It is an honor to serve you and the Fourth Congressional District. Sincerely, Trey Gowdy Member of Congress"

1/21/2012 2:39:11 PM

There's no way SOPA is truly dead. They'll shelve it, then rebrand it, swap some words around, and it'll get passed anyway when no one is looking.

When the politicians and corporations decide they want something, nothing will stop them. Big entertainment/pharma will destroy the country if it means locking in profits.

1/21/2012 4:02:34 PM

1/23/2012 6:00:29 AM

Quote :

"But it nonetheless sends a very clear message when citizens celebrate a rare victory in denying the Government a power it seeks — the power to shut down websites without a trial — only for the Government to turn around the very next day and shut down one of the world’s largest and best-known sites. Whether intended or not, the message is unmistakable: Congratulations, citizens, on your cute little “democracy” victory in denying us the power to shut down websites without a trial: we’re now going to shut down one of your most popular websites without a trial."

http://www.salon.com/2012/01/21/two_lessons_from_the_megaupload_seizure/singleton/

1/23/2012 7:28:42 AM

A message from Chris Dodd, former Senator from Connecticut and current Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America:

Quote :

"Candidly, those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake. … I would caution people don’t make the assumption that because the quote ‘Hollywood community’ has been historically supportive of Democrats, which they have, don’t make the false assumptions this year that because we did it in years past, we will do it this year. These issues before us — this is the only issue that goes right to the heart of this industry."

http://www.salon.com/2012/01/23/dodd_accused_of_bribery_over_sopa_remarks/

1/23/2012 1:43:29 PM

Chris Dodd is corrupt to the core. He is in bed with the big studios and the big banks.

He's only saying what we already know, though. Politicians are typically whores that will cast their vote with direction from the highest bidder.

[Edited on January 23, 2012 at 1:54 PM. Reason : ]

1/23/2012 1:52:08 PM

you see, he's got this thing, and, it's f-in golden, man. and he's not just giving it up for f-in nothing.

1/23/2012 2:11:01 PM

Quote :

" Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement - (ACTA) Though the agreement itself has been known to the Polish officials for two years, the government had failed to hold consultations with civil society prior to its late signing announcement. Due to that, anti-ACTA ire started to grow amongst the Polish Internet community. http://www.isoc.org.pl/en/250112/ACTA "

Poland is going through the same shit we had to go through. Except, in Poland, ACTA is VERY likely that it's going to pass


First: They have a million stupid names for these bills.

Second: My question is: How the hell did the movie/music industry get so fucking strong?
My answer is: Money and power?

Their influence is stronger than all governments combined based on influence in policy.

This underhandedness is criminal and we don't know who it is that is the leader of this movement! All we can do is pinpoint "the industry" behind the movement. It scares the shit out of me to have a headless snake to fight.



[Edited on January 26, 2012 at 5:11 AM. Reason : .]

1/26/2012 5:09:33 AM

I am extremely surprised I haven't seen more than about 180k signatures on this petition.

https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/just-say-no-to-acta

I'm hoping this is just one of several big petitions.

1/26/2012 1:23:38 PM