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SOPA / PIPA impact @ WGT?

• 8buster8 649 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 6:20 AM

  need to circumvent Wikpedia's blackout today; the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could impact free and open Internet. 

  thoughts?  

  SOPA/PIPA

  
  

• godelescher 636 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 8:16 AM

  SOPA/PIPA Shouldn't have an effect on WGT, but it will in so many other facets of internet usage, from Craigslist to Google to Wikipedia to ...

  For those who don't know, SOPA/PIPA is supposed to be a law to protect the infringement of copyrighted material. Sounds good right?

  Here's the problem:

  The law is written in such a way that anyone who owns copyrighted material can demand that any website be shut down if they feel their copyrights have been infringed. Still doesn't sound so bad, right?

  Not bad at all, until you start thinking about what that means. Imagine if Craigslist get's shut down because someone posted an ad reselling a piece of copyrighted electronics, or a widget, or a nifty state-of-the-art spatula...whatever. Anyone can shut down any site whatsoever if their "rights are being infringed".

  Here's what's worse:

  Faced with hefty fines, Internet Service Providers must err on the side of censorship in order to be safe. There is no due process for shutting down a website, no appeal process.

  At its core, the law is anti-competitive. Large websites can shut down their competitors if they simply accuse them of copyright infringement.

  Imagine if someone built a website similar to WGT, only without the bugs, random disconnects, sand baggers, etc. Now imagine if WGT could prevent that new website from opening its doors because it perceives the competition as "infringement". No trial. No hearing. No appeal. Just shut 'em down. SOPA/PIPA would allow for this.

  I'm not saying WGT would do this, but there is no provision for preventing them.

  Ultimately, the free exchange of information would be compromised. Google results would be censored. Wikipedia could be shut down entirely. Craigslist, gone.

  Look at the supporters of SOPA/PIPA and those against it and it speaks volumes.

  Those against it:

  Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, eBay, AOL, Mozilla, Reddit, Tumblr, Etsy, Zynga, EFF, Human Rights Watch

  Those who endorse SOPA/PIPA:

  TimeWarner, NewsCorp, Walmart, Nike, Tiffany, Chanel, Rolex, Sony, Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, VISA, Mastercard, Comcast, ABC, Dow Chemical, Monster Cable, Teamsters

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 8:43 AM

  This all seems like a political ploy from the Obama administration. Its a Liberal law that Conservatives went along with. This is nothing more then the Liberal machine finding ways to diminish jobs and/or people gaining wealth in hopes of a Liberal Government ushering in a cradle to grave way of life for everyone in the United States. The American way of life is being taken hostage by a Socialistic Government. The Conservatives don't offer a better way of life either.

  Conservatives and Liberals are going to cause the ruin of the United States with each party being so politically extreme. What a shame.

• godelescher 636 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 9:14 AM

  Richard4168:

  This all seems like a political ploy from the Obama administration. Its a Liberal law that Conservatives went along with.

  Considering President Obama is against these bills, your paranoia seems a bit backwards.

  For the Bills:

  Ron Conyers (D-MI)

  Lamar Smith (R-TX)

  Against the bills:

  Ron Wyden (D-OR)

  Darrell Issa (R-CA)

  Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

  Ron Paul (R-TX)

  This is not a right vs. left debate. It is an anti-competitive business practices debate that transcends political parties.

  Example:

  Monster Cable has labeled Craigslist a "Rogue Site," designated for full take-down under PIPA (The contention is that the resale of stereo cables "infringes" Monster Cable's "rights" to sell new stereo cables.)

   

• Fuzzygazz 1,469 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 9:27 AM

  The page http://gamesurge.net/chat/wgt/ is on strike today to fight SOPA and PIPA.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 11:29 AM

  godelescher:

  This is not a right vs. left debate.

  Then we both have differing opinions on this. Both parties are politically posturing on this topic. I will say that the Moderate Republicans (law makers) have the best stance on this.

  I'm not paranoid in the least, and to think this is just about Copyright laws is a bit outrageous.

• racoondad 322 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 11:50 AM

  If passed, wgt may have to shut down the whole forum to avoid any possible violations.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Wed, Jan 18 2012 1:24 PM

  Exactly Racoondad.

  The underlying point of this regulation is to better regulate normal people from selling things on the Internet who also aren't paying taxes on the money they make on websites like Craigslist. $20 billion was made last year by regular people selling their personal items online and the Government wants a piece of the pie, i.e., the Obama Administration. Like it will keep this country from going over the cliff.

  I can also see how the music and movie industry would want to have some kind of regulation to keep their products from being listened to or viewed for free from people around the world wide web.

  The web does need regulation of some sort, but not at the expense of costing web companies millions of dollars in regulation fees, and hundreds of thousands of jobs lost world wide.

  This is not the time to introduce this kind of legislation in this country. People need jobs and not just in this country, but all around the world.