SOPA

[The Rich Port]

As well as one of the authors supposedly violating copyright law by using a photo on his website with crediting the artist.

Lulz

[Cromarty]

This bill is nothing to worry about. If the government does shut down your website, sue them to hell. This is a violation of the 1st and fourth amendments, therefore unconstitutional and illegal. If this passes, we're gonna make some money!

SOPA is unlikely to let defendants fight back.

SOPA is going to die in committee.

[Bythyrona]

The embarrassing part is that Lamar Smith stole the image from an artist who had licensed the piece under Creative Commons.

[Elipida]

Are you Americans trying to violate your own constitutional rights & freedoms?

This is like trying to ban the ownership of weapons! It's your own damn fault you shoved gun rights as the second point in the declaration of independence.

If this passes you cannot call the US an official democracy any more.

[Alyakia]

Are you Americans trying to violate your own constitutional rights & freedoms?

This is like trying to ban the ownership of weapons! It's your own damn fault you shoved gun rights as the second point in the declaration of independence.

If this passes you cannot call the US an official democracy any more.

if this thing that is completely unrelated to democracy or the voting system is passed i'm going to get mod powers and made a script that turns every instance of democracy in relation to republic into OFFICIAL DICTATORDHI{

[UnitedStatesOfAmerica-]

One major news outlet, Reuters, is declaring that SOPA is dead and that Hollywood has just suffered a major league defeat.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/ ... 8720120118

It seems that Hollywood still does not realize that it is in the information age. Knowledge moves in real time, and events move accordingly. The medium is the message in a fight like this.

Five days ago, almost nobody knew or cared about SOPA. But with lightning speed, the leviathans of the Internet, including Google and Facebook and Wikipedia, managed to brand this battle as Bad and mobilize millions of followers.

By Wednesday morning as Wikipedia went dark, the SOPA is Censorship message was on the cover and home page of every news outlet around the country. By midday, four senators and one member of Congress had backed off the legislation.

MPAA is responding by denouncing the protestors and blacked out websites accusing them of supporting criminals and terrorists. The MPAA is beginning to sound a lot like former Libyan dictator Gaddafi and Syria's current President Assad.

But some heads have got to roll here. Hollywood showed today that it is completely clueless

[Kentsland]

SOPA and PIPA are the worst thing that Congress can do.

[Desperate Measures]

SOPA and PIPA are the worst thing that Congress can do.

Well... no. Not at all. But SOPA and PIPA suck.

[The-_Sicarii]

Are you Americans trying to violate your own constitutional rights & freedoms?

This is like trying to ban the ownership of weapons! It's your own damn fault you shoved gun rights as the second point in the declaration of independence.

If this passes you cannot call the US an official democracy any more.

Most Americans are against this. These bills should never have even been considered; I don't see why this thread should even be necessary. For once, the average American has the right idea here.

[Sentinel XV]

I was genuinely surprised that NS did not cover SOPA/PIPA much. Most of the threads have popped up only within the last week, when the blackout was announced. But, in all honesty, I'm glad that the blackouts happened and websites like Wikipedia and Google (albeit Google did not blackout) lent themselves to the cause. Because, I find it hard to believe than anyone who has any knowledge of the Internet, or how it works, could look at these bills and think that they were a good idea. I mean, seriously. Congress has a ~5% approval rating. Why in hell would they think about passing an anti-piracy bill right now?

[Arborlawn]

The Government ███ ████████ says ██████ ██████████ everything ██ ████ is ████ ██████████ ██ okay ███ ███

[I-gloo]

The Government ███ ████████ says ██████ ██████████ everything ██ ████ is ████ ██████████ ██ okay ███ ███

^ The reason for SOPA and PIPA have been uncovered the government is gonna assassinate you now.

But seriously for once most Americans are on the same side are they not?

[Arborlawn]

█ ███ ████████ █████████ NS did ███ cover SOPA/PIPA ████. ████ ██ ███ threads have popped up ████ ██████ ███ ████ ████, when ███ ████████ ███ announced. But, in all honesty, I'm glad that ███ █████████ ████████ ███ websites like Wikipedia and Google (██████ ██████ ███ ███ ████████) lent themselves to the cause. Because, I ████ ██ ████ ██ believe that anyone who has any knowledge of the Internet, or how it works, could look at these bills and think that they were a good idea. I mean, seriously. Congress has █ ███ approval ██████. ███ ██ ████ █████ ████ █████ █████ ███████ ██ ████-██████ ████ █████ ███?

FIXED AND CENSORED

[Sentinel XV]

█ ███ ████████ █████████ NS did ███ cover SOPA/PIPA ████. ████ ██ ███ threads have popped up ████ ██████ ███ ████ ████, when ███ ████████ ███ announced. But, in all honesty, I'm glad that ███ █████████ ████████ ███ websites like Wikipedia and Google (██████ ██████ ███ ███ ████████) lent themselves to the cause. Because, I ████ ██ ████ ██ believe that anyone who has any knowledge of the Internet, or how it works, could look at these bills and think that they were a good idea. I mean, seriously. Congress has █ ███ approval ██████. ███ ██ ████ █████ ████ █████ █████ ███████ ██ ████-██████ ████ █████ ███?

FIXED AND CENSORED

You, sir, have won the internet.

[Arborlawn]

FIXED AND CENSORED

You, sir, have won the internet.

No censorship needed.

[The Lone Alliance]

I was genuinely surprised that NS did not cover SOPA/PIPA much. Most of the threads have popped up only within the last week, when the blackout was announced. But, in all honesty, I'm glad that the blackouts happened and websites like Wikipedia and Google (albeit Google did not blackout) lent themselves to the cause. Because, I find it hard to believe than anyone who has any knowledge of the Internet, or how it works, could look at these bills and think that they were a good idea. I mean, seriously. Congress has a ~5% approval rating. Why in hell would they think about passing an anti-piracy bill right now?

Because it makes them look 'bi-partisan' so they can say "See we're not useless we can agree on things!!!!"

They thought this would be an easy way for them to look like they're doing something so people would stop calling congress worthless. Backfired big time.

[The lepearchauns]

So...its opposed by some of the richest companies in the world(Google, Wikimedia, Facebook, Microsoft, Verizon), over 68% of the American public(SOURCE) and even president Obama(at least in its current form)(Source)...if this passes it proves that congress is just as much a part of the problem as the "1%"

[Sentinel XV]

I was genuinely surprised that NS did not cover SOPA/PIPA much. Most of the threads have popped up only within the last week, when the blackout was announced. But, in all honesty, I'm glad that the blackouts happened and websites like Wikipedia and Google (albeit Google did not blackout) lent themselves to the cause. Because, I find it hard to believe than anyone who has any knowledge of the Internet, or how it works, could look at these bills and think that they were a good idea. I mean, seriously. Congress has a ~5% approval rating. Why in hell would they think about passing an anti-piracy bill right now?

Because it makes them look 'bi-partisan' so they can say "See we're not useless we can agree on things!!!!"

They thought this would be an easy way for them to look like they're doing something so people would stop calling congress worthless. Backfired big time.

Exactly. However, their true intent still showed through. This is not a bill to benefit the people, but a bill to benefit Hollywood and the record companies, and to put money in their own pockets.

In the words of reedit founder Alexis Ohanian,

"Why is it that when Republicans and Democrats need to solve the budget and the deficit, there's deadlock, but when Hollywood lobbyists pay them $94 million dollars to write legislation, people from both sides of the aisle line up to co-sponsor it?"

[Bythyrona]

Because it makes them look 'bi-partisan' so they can say "See we're not useless we can agree on things!!!!"

They thought this would be an easy way for them to look like they're doing something so people would stop calling congress worthless. Backfired big time.

Exactly. However, their true intent still showed through. This is not a bill to benefit the people, but a bill to benefit Hollywood and the record companies, and to put money in their own pockets.

In the words of reedit founder Alexis Ohanian,

"Why is it that when Republicans and Democrats need to solve the budget and the deficit, there's deadlock, but when Hollywood lobbyists pay them $94 million dollars to write legislation, people from both sides of the aisle line up to co-sponsor it?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... M8E#t=100s

[Norstal]

So...its opposed by some of the richest companies in the world(Google, Wikimedia, Facebook, Microsoft, Verizon), over 68% of the American public(SOURCE) and even president Obama(at least in its current form)(Source)...if this passes it proves that congress is just as much a part of the problem as the "1%"

The Cyberpolice have dun goofed.

[The Matthew Islands]

So...its opposed by some of the richest companies in the world(Google, Wikimedia, Facebook, Microsoft, Verizon), over 68% of the American public(SOURCE) and even president Obama(at least in its current form)(Source)...if this passes it proves that congress is just as much a part of the problem as the "1%"

The Cyberpolice have dun goofed.

Consequences will never be the same.

[The Rich Port]

So...its opposed by some of the richest companies in the world(Google, Wikimedia, Facebook, Microsoft, Verizon), over 68% of the American public(SOURCE) and even president Obama(at least in its current form)(Source)...if this passes it proves that congress is just as much a part of the problem as the "1%"

Well... Not really.

At least, it doesn't prove anything new.

[UnitedStatesOfAmerica-]

The Government ███ ████████ says ██████ ██████████ everything ██ ████ is ████ ██████████ ██ okay ███ ███

^ The reason for SOPA and PIPA have been uncovered the government is gonna assassinate you now.

But seriously for once most Americans are on the same side are they not?

There is remarkable opposition to the bills that cuts across party lines.

[Ifreann]

I'm just gonna be over here.

[Lordieth]

The Internet has developed defensive capabilities. Clearly the beginning of Skynet.