SOPA and the Fortress

If you guys really want to be effective, be sure to write a snail mail instead of snapping off a quick e-mail or online signing a petition. Remember that opposing something and contacting your representative is all about the costliness of your signal---the more costly the signal, the more politicians will react to it. Thus internet petition vs. e-mail vs. trying to get an in person interview. If you send a costly signal like sending a letter, they know you're far more likely to do something about it come election time, talk to your friends, etc and they usually don't want to get behind issues like that. Especially House members.

Reps can be very sensitive to constituents (to a lesser extent senators), so it's worthwhile to do it.

Jur wrote: I noticed bgg is down in protest and I think that's a good thing to raise awareness.

It's not actually down. You can click on through at the bottom.

In other news, the MPAA Chairman calls the blackouts an abuse of power:

It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It's a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

mpaa.org/resources/c4c3712a-7b9f-4be8-bd70-25527d5dfad8.pdf

Thanks to every F:AT moderator for not doing some silly blackout front page for SOPA. I'm too tired and important to get through that.

The MPAA Chairman can suck my motherfucking dick right off.

Disgustipater wrote:

Jur wrote: I noticed bgg is down in protest and I think that's a good thing to raise awareness.

It's not actually down. You can click on through at the bottom.

In other news, the MPAA Chairman calls the blackouts an abuse of power:

It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It's a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

mpaa.org/resources/c4c3712a-7b9f-4be8-bd70-25527d5dfad8.pdf

THE MPAA CAN BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS.

Uba, I think that Oatmeal animated gif needed "Do it for Jesus" in there somewhere. Well, at least I expected it.

Ken B. wrote: The MPAA Chairman can suck my motherfucking dick right off.

Ken, you're brave. I mean, you could've said that about some Anti-Piracy wankers, but telling the Chairman of the Miniscule Penis Appreciation Association to suck your dick right off....that took some balls.

LOL

Ken B. wrote: Fortunately for all of us, President Obama has already said that even if this shit makes it through, he will veto it in its current form. Proof positive that voting matters, kids.

He said the same thing about the NDAA Martial law bill and still signed it. It needs to be killed or significantly reworked...in the House or the Senate.

repoman wrote: As with any loss of freedom, it starts small and slow and before you know it, it's gone.

All such "incrimentalism" should be fought tooth and nail.

This instance may be cloaked in the idea of protecting "corporations" but don't be fooled that they are the villains or really the beneficiaries of this. Your friends in government are the ones that gain when they get to control the flow of ideas.

That's a fact...Here in British Columbia Canada they brought in a law entitled the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. More than 10 years later everyone realizes guess what? It wasn't about freedom of information at all. It was about privacy and the privacy provisions are being used to kill freedom of information requests.

There's usually a hidden agenda and if you're not paying attention, you get screwed.

I just read this absolutely brilliant scientific & mathematical deconstruction of the copyright industries figures on loss due to piracy:

www.cato-at-liberty.org/how-copyright-industries-con-congress/

Aside from the fact - that I suspect everyone with half a brain already guessed - that the figures suggested are vastly inflated, there are two important conclusions:

* Approximately 80% of downloaded music is not lost sales, but material the downloader would not otherwise have purchased.

* Sales lost to piracy hurt the media industry but the net loss to the overall economy is zero, as pirates spend it on other things.

You chaps will LOVE THIS:

www.vice.com/read/pipa-supporters-copyright-violations

The senators who are all about SOPA are in violation of SOPA. Fucking LOVE IT!

That's because the laws don't apply to them. They don't care. They're rich enough to pay the fines and keep on doing whatever the hell they want.

MattDP wrote: * Sales lost to piracy hurt the media industry but the net loss to the overall economy is zero, as pirates spend it on other things.

So there's no loss to the economy when financial incentive is removed from innovation?

I don't have an issue with the protection of copyright, it's the collateral damage that is really the issue here.

S.

Sagrilarus wrote:

MattDP wrote: * Sales lost to piracy hurt the media industry but the net loss to the overall economy is zero, as pirates spend it on other things.

So there's no loss to the economy when financial incentive is removed from innovation?

I don't have an issue with the protection of copyright, it's the collateral damage that is really the issue here.

S.

I think most people agree with this. This bill is entirely made up of collateral damage, and probably won't accomplish anything it actually wants to do.