Wikipedia SOPA/PIPA

[squatta_leader]

Ricky is going to **** kill himself when he can't post anymore gifs/memes because they'll all be copied content.

I IP banned him, not a problem...

[ThatsRight]

wellz dont pop two many blood vessels because you might end up with a mushy brain like mine thats scene one to many mushroomssss

let this bee a lessun to you kidz

[james-]

errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...... So the plan here is to stop SOPA/PIPA by not buying records or movies and instead pirating them?

Quite frankly, I don't know much about them or this situation in general. I do know that stealing has been rampant my entire life. So, maybe these the SOPA/PIPA groups are actually in the right. I don't know. My original post was mainly just about people in general always complain about special interest groups whether it be in farming or banking or whatever.

Is there a real argument against SOPA/PIPA, or is it basically people just wanting to continue to steal at will? I don't know.

Because yes, obviously stealing more and more to hit them where it hurts isn't an effective way to make them back off on pursuing protection of their assets.

[mg_]

Well, the single greatest one is the fact any individual claiming (hint: doesn't necessarily have to have one) can make application to have the website taken offline simply petitioning the Attorney General of the United States, who is then authorized by PIPA/SOPA to conduct an ex parte hearing on the matter (hint: just decide by himself), and it forbids the Courts from reviewing and interfering from the conduct.

First, it's a prior restraint on speech. You can't be denied the right to post content or state stuff without a court hearing (hint: in front of a judge) to vindicate your rights. Second, there is no grounds to prevent flimsy, spurious, or downright false claims against competitors or those you simply don't like. More over, it authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to shut down sites outside of the United States. Domain names such as .fr, .uk, etc. are all caught in this net. So long as the copyright or trademark holder petitions the government, then it can begin action. It is nonsensical to think foreign domains can be brought in under U.S. copyright law in such a ridiculous manner.


In layman's terms: you can't just issue a government order to shut down a website in a private ex parte hearing. You might as well deny a human being the right to speak in public without telling him the rationale or provision of the opportunity to vindicate his constitutionally protected speech rights.

It should say something when the Congressional Research Service looks at something and blushes and states the bill is pretty crappy in terms of constitutionality. Which it did.


I don't do the whole "download illegally" thing. Not my bag. I do respect someone's copyright, trademark, patent, etc. However, this is such a farce in the other direction it blows my mind. There is this thing about the hierarchy of rules and laws. My constitutional rights trump another person's intellectual property rights (a statutorily created property right). The freedom of speech is antecedent to the laws establishing copyright and trademark.

Basically, PIPA and SOPA should go eat a

[defiance]

SOPA explained in gif format

[fghtffyrdmns]

[ThatsRight]

Meh, from what you describe I don't think it has a very high chance of ever actually happening. It basically takes a giant



on the country.

[james-]

The patriot act took a giant shit on the country as well.

That passed no problem.

[ThatsRight]

That's because people in fear demanded to be "protected". I don't think the general public will demand what Mitch described because they aren't being manipulated constantly about how danger lurks in every corner.

Ahhh, the classic create a problem and then offer the "solution" that you wanted to begin with.