Congress is looking into a bill to stop online piracy. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is the House of Representatives’ latest take on piracy.
They also have another bill being worked on in the Protect IP Act. The SOPA was drawn up in responses to business feeling that the Protect IP act did not go far enough.
Congress would be attempting a major restructuring of the laws that cover internet usage with the passage of SOPA. The original talks were held on Nov. 16, 2011, which many websites called American Censorship Day, to hear what companies and people had to say on the subject. It will be up for markup on Dec. 15, 2011, when they will amend it, fix it, or leave it as it is.
Those supporting the billing are pushing for a better Internet, in which piracy is not around.
Companies like Nintendo, Sony, Ford Motor Company, NBA, NBC, Universal and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have all urged the passage of the bill. Representative Lamar Smith of Texas introduced the bill to congress and it currently has 24 co-sponsors. They believe that the harsher laws will force the shut-down of websites that have anything to do with piracy. Pfizer, one of the companies supporting it, put out that they believe in the bill because so many knockoff websites are out there selling cheap drugs and consumers are unable to tell the difference.
The bill has its many detractors as well. Some of them think that it censors the Internet and freedom of speech. They include, Google, Twitter, Reddit, eBay, Mozilla Corporation, Reporters Without Borders, American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
They feel that with the passage of this bill, it will severely hamper the internet’s ability to grow. These groups raised awareness of the issue across the internet, saying that SOPA will result in job loss instead of job creation. A group from Reddit is also striking back, as they are moving towards creating an Internet free of government censorship.
They are calling it either Meshnet or Darknet, the name still hasn’t been decided upon. The project is also very much still in the beginning stages.
The SOPA has its many detractors and proponents. Both sides agree that piracy is a problem that must be dealt with. However, how they deal with it is where they disagree entirely. Sweeping reforms are what the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are looking for.
The opponents of the bill feel those sweeping reforms take a step to far, and that the bill must be rewritten.
If you agree or disagree with SOPA express your opinion by contacting congressional representative Chris Murphy at chrismurphy.house.gov to add your voice to a growing number of people wanting to speak out.
- Michael Honore
Contributing Writer
