Hi All!!
There has been a lot of hullabaloo lately about the SOPA/PIPA bills that are going through congress right now. While these bills purportedly protect the entertainment industry from piracy, many believe that this is a first step down a dark road of censorship for both the United States and the rest of the world and that the language is vague enough that it leaves room for many and varied abuses that go beyond the bills' intended purview.
I also know that there has been much argument going on lately in our particular corner of the world about pirating eBooks. Authors are up in arms, readers take sides. While this type of infringement is not the primary focus of these bills, it could be impacted by their passing.
So, what do you think? Is the protection of our intellectual property worth possible abuse and censorship of the internet? Do you think that what SOPA/PIPA proposes is censorship? I'd love to hear from you. But please remember, even though this is a heated issue, respect anyone who comments and avoid personal attacks. Thanks!
I intend to study the issue more, but the fact that even Wickipedia is going dark in protest of SOPA and PIPA speaks to the level of concern in the online community. As I understand it, the way the law is written, linking to someone else's blog legally would require you to check all of their past entries for copyrighted material. The breadth of the laws seems staggering. As an author I have seen my books pirated and offered for free, but I am very leery of any legislation that gives the government wide power to block/penalize/censor online content. And even with recent pullback of SOPA since Obama's rejection of it, PIPA is still going ahead to a Senate vote, and SOPA or a variant could reappear. Piracy is a problem. These bills are not the answer.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened at the way that Artists/Author's rights are abused by Piracy.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't think SOPA/PIPA is the answer. There is another way. This is just an insult in disguise.