Update : SOPA Dies, PIPA Stalls

While the article I have reposted below basically concerns the US, the Americans and the internet regulations in the US, it is inevitable that whatever the outcome of their concerns will have direct bearing and impact on the internet users here in the Philippines and other parts of the globe. Majority or practically all search engines, social networking services and major websites, computer networks and other internet related infrastructures that we are using now are based in the US or are US-registered companies. And knowing these facts we do not need further explanation or convincing why we should be concerned of what's going on in the US now concerning internet regulations. It is for these reasons that I have been updating the readers of this blog on these matters. 

      

                               SOPA Dies, PIPA Stalls       

It’s official, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is dead! Following a wave of online protests on Wednesday, including the unprecedented blackouts of websites ranging from Wikipedia to Imgur, Congress has wasted no time in backing away from a bill that was once being fast tracked. Yesterday, in the aftermath of the protests, SOPA’s support was already visibly dwindling as politicians on both sides of the aisle moved to distance themselves from the bill. While Wednesday’s protests clearly made an impact, it wasn’t until today that the true extent of that became apparent. Specifically it was early this afternoon, when Lamar Smith, the Congressman who introduced SOPA, announced that he would pull the bill from consideration. While Smith’s statement made clear that the death of SOPA will not mark the end of Congress’s anti-piracy efforts, he also noted that the approach to the problem needed to be revisited; and it’s important to remember that ultimately it was SOPA’s heavy-handed approach that created the lion’s share of the bill’s problems.

Of course, those of you who have been following the situation (or who have read my previous piece on the matter) will know that SOPA was only half the battle, the remainder being the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), the Senate’s counterpart legislation. Well there’s good news on that front too! Today, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the vote on PIPA (originally set for January 24^th) would be postponed, with the new date not yet specified. Unlike Smith, Reid seemed less willing to acknowledge the bill’s specific problems in his statement, instead attempting to frame the issue as one of American jobs.

I have to admit, I’m impressed. While the enormity of Wednesday’s blackouts was plain to see, I honestly thought it would take longer for Congress to react, particularly with the then-looming Senate vote on PIPA. In fact, while I had every hope that SOPA would fail, I didn’t expect that to happen until after discussion resumed in February. That remained the case even when it started hemorrhaging supporters and sponsors in the wake of this week’s protests. But here we are, barely two days later, with not one, but two major victories firmly in hand. Though the battle, as of this writing, is still not over, the progress we’ve seen in the past few days has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Finally, I’d like to take a minute to thank everybody who did something to fight SOPA, whether you signed a petition, wrote to Congress or even blacked out your website. This truly would not have been possible without each and every one of you. While PIPA is merely on the backburner for the moment, it too will soon be finished if the public continues to pressure the Senate. So sign a petition and write your Senators. The only way to make sure it dies is to keep fighting!

Remember the words of the late protest singer Phil Ochs: “You’ll never really know how far you’ll go ‘til you join together and try.”

Source Acknowledgement  :      
Written by Nick C.        http://www.comicbooked.com/sopa-dies-pipa-stalls/

Note  :   This is only a repost of the original article

Information : What is SOPA? What is PIPA? If you are an internet user you must know them.

SOPA and PIPA, two words that people across the globe love to hate

Friday Reflections - By B.K. Sidhu

SOPA and PIPA are two words that people across the globe love to hate.

Social media networks such as Twitter andFacebook are buzzing with comments from people all over the world, all expressing their frustrations over SOPA and PIPA.

Over 7,000 websites have joined Wikipedia to strongly protest against SOPA and PIPA by blacking out their content for 24 hours on Wednesday. Their reason create awareness so that people know the new legislation is designed to curb online piracy and the impact it will have on Netizens. Any infringement of piracy can land someone in jail for three, four or even five years.

That explains why the tweets on Twitter have gone berserk, some saying “imagine a world without Internet; Urge Obama to veto #PIPA and #SOPA if they make it through Congress; SOPA and PIPA have nothing to do with piracy, it's to do with The Arts' companies losing money to Internet content; Tell the US congress to stop Internet censorship and reject the #SOPA #PIPA bills-Sign the urgent petition; Some people still think that SOPA is something to wash yourself with and PIPA is the sister of a princess.''

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act and PIPA, Protect Intellectual Property Act, not Prince William's sister-in-law Pippa Middleton.

Google said over 4.5 million people signed its online petition to Congress, voicing displeasure at the legislation; and Twitter said more than two million posts against the legislation. Wikipedia said 162 million saw its blackout landing page, and in the United States, eight million looked up Congressional rep to protest SOPA and PIPA.

What has got all the people worked up?

SOPA and PIPA are “two bills currently in discussion in the US Congress with an aim to strengthen copyright law''. The lobbyists for the two bills are the “powerful supporters, including lawmakers, the movie and music industries, and the US Chamber of Commerce''.

The lobbyists had expected a huge victory but not a backlash from the public.

Though the intention may be good, what worries people is that the “language used in these bills are seen to be vague'' and if any “intellectual property owner feels its copyright has been violated, they can have the site taken down without the normal due process of law.''

If the United States gets its way, this could set the example for other countries to follow suit, and that worries the rest of the world. As it is, China has a cap on content.

The Internet is the best thing that has happened to our lives; imposing unreasonable laws will only stifle the growth of businesses and individuals alike.

The Internet is now a social, business and economic tool as it educates, entertains and informs. You would not have been able to buy books online from Amazon without the Internet, nor could you send e-mails to your children if not for the Internet.

Taking that away will impact your life. But like everything else, there is the good and bad side. The bad side is often related to piracy and creators and aggregators want to protect their rights so that they get royalty for what they've created.

The question many are asking is, should we allow a few individuals to control the seven billion population of the world by pushing through this legislation or should it be refined?

By 2015, over 80% of the world population will have mobile phones and that means they will have access to all sorts of information. So, should that evolution be stopped?

This anti-piracy legislation will not only violate freedom of speech but stifle growth of nations and people and it could, as someone pointed out “break the Internet''. Are we heading in that direction or should the Internet remain a domain that is “free to use, explore and express”?

Source  Acknowledgement  :  

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Note : This is only a repost of the original article.