Start Soapbox
On January 18th, there were some high-profile websites—Wikipedia among them—that actively opposed two pieces of intellectual property rights and privacy legislation by adding black banners in protest. The outcry was so effective that the legislation was, at least temporarily, blocked.
In the US Senate it was the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and in the House it was the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). We have had a longtime belief that copyrights, patents and intellectual property need protection. There is a problem in that there is widespread illegal copying and distribution of protected content. So, on the face of things, these bills might be a good idea.
But when you look at the details of the bills, it looks like the medicine is way worse than the cure. Rather than really providing protection, the bill uses the atomic bomb approach which would require that internet service providers block access to foreign websites that are suspected of containing pirated content. This is way too intrusive and gives the government too much control over the internet.
The internet is really the best and last bastion of free speech and innovation. You need not look further than the revolution in Egypt to see what the impact can be of free, open access to information. This legislation would require the blocking of entire internet domains if just one blog entry or web page had infringing material. There is a real danger that this legislation would trigger an explosion of internet and search engine censorship.
Make no mistake about it—I support the protection of intellectual property and artistic creations. It is essential to ensure that innovation and art flourish; however, this legislation—PIPA and SOPA—goes too far and is not the right solution to the problem.
End Soapbox
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