SOPA Opposition

[Tweak]

As many of you are aware there are talks regarding the introduction of SOPA and PIPA to reduce the impact on online piracy.

Whilst I fully support better piracy management the current legislation proposed by the above acts potentially disrupts the idea of a free-speech Internet. Any website which enables interaction such as the forums here are under risk of being affected by such acts and as such I personally oppose the introduction of them without a revision of how they operate.

I tend to keep away from politics particularly with a pending visa application to the USA but having been aware of this for some time I think it is time I actively shared the information.

Please visit http://americancensorship.org/ for information on how YOU can oppose the introduction of these bills as well as view the potential consequences. Every single member here can help to support the introduction of these acts within the US Senate and the House of Representatives.

This thread will remain unlocked for intelligent discussions - as much as I encourage free-speech, however, any flame wars or pointless posts will result in the thread being locked. It is here to raise awareness and enable you to act against it not to attack the US Government or others - they are not at fault.

[Alison Marie]

you go tweak!!!!

[✡]

I'm very afraid of this. I don't think any of us understand the full implications of this bill yet

[icy wolf]

The company who started SOPA are coruppted. They are the same ones who made the soft where to start pritecy. Its highly unlikely that SOPA will get passed as the ecomic downfall it will cause, billions, many web sites run over the internet, if SOPA is passed then it will be like the great depression agein. There will be riots, not to metion vasit hack atempets. SOPA needs to be stooped.

[Count of Cutesy]

May I be the first to ask?

...How exactly will SOPA and Protect IP effect the Furry Forums. I mean, I hate SOPA and Protect IP as much as the next guy, but I don't see anything on the Furry Forums that even remotely resembles Piracy. Most people here use and draw Original Characters as opposed to fan characters, which would have been the only reason I could see that might have effected this forum in the long run.

[Tweak]

May I be the first to ask?

Mainly for the simple reason that it would allow the forums to be added to a blacklist from a simple complaint. Your signature image for example is not credited to whoever first created it, in this case it wasn't you. If the original copyright holder (or in theory someone stating they owned the rights to the image) was to complain about it's usage it could result in a lot of problems.

Currently, most people would contact us first, then it progresses to contact with the web host and the potential usage of a DMCA to remove the image. In the case of SOPA, a single complaint would, more than likely, lead to anybody using a ISP within the US to be unable to access the forums.

[Count of Cutesy]

Okay, I credited both Capcom for the Dancing Dhalsim sprites and Ani-Monster for the link to Ani-Monster's adoption site. Would that help?

[Tweak]

It was just an example. SOPA and PIPA are much more complex.

[Sne]

Be a HERO and Help STOP SOPA Now!! I'll tell you How! This Video that Must Be SHARED!

[Leiton]

This is hysterical! There are TONS and TONS of sites going on black-out tomorrow because of their opposition to SOPA...

[Kaprika]

Be a HERO and Help STOP SOPA Now!! I'll tell you How! This Video that Must Be SHARED!

this tells you alot you MIGHT not have known about how corrupt this bill aims to be

[spark]

.How exactly will SOPA and Protect IP effect the Furry Forums.

The other thing about SOPA/PIPA is that an entire website will be taken down, without warning, for just one infringement.  All it takes is one, any one, member here posting one, JUST ONE comment that in some way violates copyright law, and the whole site can be removed, without a trail, without a chance for the site owner to take the comment down, without anything.   Therein lies the largest problem with this, the lack of due process.  Normally if you break copyright law you have to be sent a take-down notice, given warning and a chance to comply, and you can counter-file that the take-down isn't legit, or even go to court to defend yourself.  These laws would remove all that.  No chance for defense, just *poof* gone.

Now just imagine you're a troll or a hater who doesn't like this site.  Set up a fake account.  Make an comment that breaks copyright.  Report this site to the government, BAM! site is down.  So ANYBODY can pretty much sink ANY site they like, just because.  Just for fun even!  The only way for a site to defend itself is to not allow members to comment.  And what point is a site then?  We'd roll the internet back to web 1.0, when user-generated content and social media didn't exist.

It's possible the courts will end up interpreting the law differently, but as it's written now, that's what can happen with it.  So yes, it's very scary!

[icy wolf]

SOPA & PIPA HORROR STORY Exposed in the UK Richard O'Dwyer by Mike Mozart


.... yep there still trying

download the video, copy the link and repost it every where.

[NJMike]

.How exactly will SOPA and Protect IP effect the Furry Forums.

The other thing about SOPA/PIPA is that an entire website will be taken down, without warning, for just one infringement.  All it takes is one, any one, member here posting one, JUST ONE comment that in some way violates copyright law, and the whole site can be removed, without a trail, without a chance for the site owner to take the comment down, without anything.   Therein lies the largest problem with this, the lack of due process.  Normally if you break copyright law you have to be sent a take-down notice, given warning and a chance to comply, and you can counter-file that the take-down isn't legit, or even go to court to defend yourself.  These laws would remove all that.  No chance for defense, just *poof* gone.

Now just imagine you're a troll or a hater who doesn't like this site.  Set up a fake account.  Make an comment that breaks copyright.  Report this site to the government, BAM! site is down.  So ANYBODY can pretty much sink ANY site they like, just because.  Just for fun even!  The only way for a site to defend itself is to not allow members to comment.  And what point is a site then?  We'd roll the internet back to web 1.0, when user-generated content and social media didn't exist.

It's possible the courts will end up interpreting the law differently, but as it's written now, that's what can happen with it.  So yes, it's very scary!

Very good point you made here. Trolls probably would do stuff like that if they realize they can. It's really just another huge flaw in this bill if it gets passed.

[icy wolf]

Anonymous Operation Blackout - STOP SOPA (Most Important Operation in Anon History)