Stop SOPA and PIPA Now!

[Guest Bassman17SC]

I just read through the thread regarding our place in the political spectrum. I came out as "far right" but just on the line between "authoritarian" and "libertarian.":tough:

At any rate, there are two bills currently before Congress (SOPA in the House and PIPA in the Senate). Bother of the bills are STRONGLY being supported by the Unions (the AFL/CIO is the largest monetary contributor in support for the legislation).

If Richard Trumpka and his merry band of thugs are FOR these bills, then i am AGAINST them.

I've already contacted our senate RINOs and hope that they vote NO on PIPA. Furthermore, both Jim Cooper and Marsha Blackburn are co-sponsors of SOPA, so I doubt they will vote NO. But I contacted Cooper anyway.

The bills do nothing to address the supposed "piracy problem" and only erodes our liberties further (i.e., freedom of speech).

i encourage all of you to read the bills and contact your reps accordingly.

[G27]

I've not decided if SOPA is good or bad, but I wonder what IP copyright holders should do about the rampant theft of their property on the internet? IP theft is a serious issue, and copyright laws exist for a reason. If there's no method for enforcement, then what?

[C.lunn]

I don't see this doing anything to the people it is "Supposedly targeting". If they are overseas and they shut their site down what's it to them when they can just open another?

[JG55]

video that explains Sopa & Pipa

Anything that X-Senator Chris Dodd supports Can't be Good for us.

http://www.heavy.com/action/action-videos/action-video/2012/01/sopa-breaks-the-internet/

[JG55]

Here' s another explanation of Sopa & Pipa

http://web.gbtv.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=20061227&topic_id=24584158

[kieefer]

I also have done my civic duty and gave my opinion to our representatives. They are apparently rethinking it since several of them have seen the light of liberty on this issue and are backing off.

+1 on the Trumpka comment.

[hornett22]

If Unions are for it,I'm dead set against it.

[kieefer]

If Unions are for it,I'm dead set against it.

Why do unions support SOPA? | MIT Center for Civic Media

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I've not decided if SOPA is good or bad, but I wonder what IP copyright holders should do about the rampant theft of their property on the internet? IP theft is a serious issue, and copyright laws exist for a reason. If there's no method for enforcement, then what?

That is an excellent question crimsonaudio. I have no clue of an answer but as usual will aimlessly ramble anyway.

We have zillions of IP Creators big and small. We have zillions of IP creators genius, hack, or hopeless. What is the ratio of IP creators versus IP consumers? I haven't a clue. Is it 1:1? 1:10? 1:1,000,000?

Many people truly fit the dictionary-definition of IP Creator. Unfortunately, the majority of dictionary-definition IP Creators are truly awful. Am not ruling myself out of the "truly awful" category.

Some genius IP Creators are so high-brow that only the ten smartest intellects in the universe can appreciate the work. For each authentic inaccessible genius, do a million unsuccessful hacks use the same excuse to rationalize their miserable commercial failure?

Un-talented stars all too common but it is a sucker bet that there are thousands of un-talented nobodies for every un-talented star. Just sayin, if each and every IP Creator expects fame and fortune then 99.999 percent of IP Creators will eventually be forced into brutally downward-revised expectations.

I believe that the act of creativity is its own reward. The "genuinely creative" are like honey bees. It is just what they do. A truly creative person can no more turn it off than a bee can stop making honey. Am not justifying that creative folk deserve to be ripped off. Am only proposing that monetary and status rewards are secondary compared to the innate reward of the creative act. I harbor no hostility to filthy-rich artists even when I don't dig the work. Just sayin if a guy goes into the art biz to make a fortune then most likely the guy made a seriously flawed career choice. There are numerous more-reliable ways to make a buck.

Given the global universe of IP consumers-- Calculate the total discretionary funds available to buy IP-- There ain't enough money to fulfill each and every IP Creator's dreams of fame and fortune.

It is a obvious that the majority of untalented IP Creators must adjust their expectations. It is equally obvious that there may not be enough money to even make the most talented IP Creators' dreams come true. Sure the suckiest IP Creators have to adjust their expectations, but even the most-very-bestest IP Creators can't realistically entertain infinite dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads.

If we had an omnipotent global artistic dictator-- The dictator might decide that all art is equally valuable, and split the total disposable income among the zillion IP Creators. In which case the zillion hacks and the handful of geniuses would all receive equal payments of what? Ten cents per year?

Alternately, our omnipotent artistic dictator might decide to deliver the entire global disposable income to the one "very bestest" artist in the world. In which case one artist would own a goodly percentage of the world and all the others dam well better have kept their day jobs!

Perhaps there is an unavoidable innate human psychology which demands that every single human on the planet MUST compulsively buy the current global top-10-- But not even one human would consider buying even one lonely song out of the 999 zillion other songs which ARE NOT on the global top-10?

If people truly are hard-wired thataway then the dog-eat-dog clash of the titans among the top labels makes perfect sense and it should never be any other way. Our entire entertainment economy should be adapted to fit this innate human psychology and deliver all rewards to the top-10 winners!

Well, I was hoping to write more clearly and get farther along, but am getting sleepy and have to eat a volcano nacho and go to bed. I really was going somewhere with it. If I can remember it tommorow will continue (am certain you will be on pins'n'needles waiting for the next installment ).

[strickj]

I've not decided if SOPA is good or bad, but I wonder what IP copyright holders should do about the rampant theft of their property on the internet? IP theft is a serious issue, and copyright laws exist for a reason. If there's no method for enforcement, then what?

Sadly, unless your name is Universal or Paramount, there is absolutely no enforcement.

There are a couple of things the IP holder can do. They can send the owner of the site a DMCA takedown notice. Followed by sending the sits' host a DMCA notice. Youtube, Facebook, Flickr and the rest of the big names are well known for removing stolen content and even pulling the plugs on repeat offenders.

If that fails, you can always send one to their ISP. I think Comcast is most well known for removing net access to thieves once the complainant proves ownership.

All else fails, you can always sue.

Seems the best protection right now is making sure all works are registered with US copyright office so if a suit is needed, you can sue for statutory damages and attorney's fees in addition to damages. I'd wager in most cases, the statuary damages and lawyers fees are going to be more then the amount one can prove they actually lost.

For me,I make sure all my commercial works are registered simply for the threat value if a client uses past my licensing expiration. I couldn't hire a slugo for that same 35 bucks

Edited January 22, 2012 by strickj

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Continuing the tortured logic begun in message #9--

- There is only so much blood in a turnip, and there are only so many turnips.

- If we could design a truly harmless law eliminating piracy, it is unlikely that the law could increase the turnip supply.

- It is not impossible that we could eliminate piracy and witness a REDUCTION in media conglomerates' revenue.

Consider a 30 year old metalhead music lover-- He lives on a part time job but luckily mom doesn't charge rent. The fella must prioritize living expenses-- Internet bills, World Of Warcraft bills, iPhone bills, XBox expenses, neon lights and chrome hood ornaments for the gaming computer, jolt cola, potato chips, beer. After the bare minimum necessities of life, maybe the guy only has five bucks left to buy music?

Perhaps the latest smash hit Black Sabbath tribute tune can't be pirated except from sites which also inject multiple East European viruses. If the fella is too dumb to figure out how to record it off the radio then maybe he buys that one from iTunes with his five bucks. He pirates other songs which are easier to obtain.

Even if all piracy can be abolished, the guy still only has five bucks in his music budget! If World of Warcraft raises rates then the guy won't have ANY money remaining in the music budget. In that case the music industry revenue would drop regardless of piracy.

Another feature-- The world is full of nobody artists who crave any kind of attention and who post their work for free. Many amateurs are deliriously gratified if they get a few download hits and even more pleased if they might occassionally receive an email of praise.

Lots of free amateur work is pedestrian and mundane, but on the other hand lots of major label output is equally pedestrian and mundane. Not all of the free amateur work is carp and some is quite good. If piracy were abolished then people with excessive gaming expenses might decide to reduce their gaming expenditures so they can afford to spend it on iTunes. Alternately, people might decide to change habits and begin downloading legal free stuff produced by nobodies who do it for fun and who crave nothing except occasional praise.

The way that might turn out could depend on-- How lemming-like is human nature? How powerful is the compulsion to only favor music which is favored by the peer group? Dunno the answer.

To be continued (maybe)...

[Guest Bassman17SC]

I am bumping this thread because even though SOPA and PIPA (in their current forms) are shelved, they will be back under different names. Remember, the AFL/CIO has already donated over $3 million to Pelosi so that the bills can pass.

Keep your ears on!