Right Now

Originally Posted by Jeff Harris

Right now, the internet is a little darker place.

Right now, you're reading this page and wondering "This guy hasn't done a real update in forever. Why am I even here expecting any differently?"

Right now, I'll give you that reason.

You've all heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (PROTECT IP Act or PIPA) that's going on in Congress. Not a political guy on this site, mind you, but I think our Congress could do something that actually HELPS the PEOPLE, not more corporations. These two acts don't help us at all, but rather those who had more money to spend on those making the rules.

Your favorite entertainment company. Seriously, if you like a company, chances are they paid some serious coin to make sure this law passes.

Now, I understand WHY they want to protect their copyrighted material. I own intellectual properties myself, and if someone blatantly stole what I created, I'd be pissed. But SOPA and PIPA are too draconian, too restrictive, too constrictive. People are mad that it would largely destroy the internet as we know it.

And despite the hyperbole, they could be right.

Let's face it. The law isn't going to stop pirates from pirating. Pirates will find ways around the law. They always have. They always will. But they also have some good qualities. Technological innovation has come about because of piracy, and industries were born.

You know the American anime industry a good portion of you guys and gals love is largely a by-product of former bootleggers going to the source instead of doing things illegally. Crunchyroll, the biggest anime network online, also began life pirating anime from all over the place. So, piracy breeds innovation and commerce.

And most of us don't pirate intentionally. Sure, we'll watch a video on YouTube featuring a cartoon that hasn't been on television in nearly 30 years that the IP holders won't release officially. You'll read a book or find a series that has a snowball's chance in hell of airing or being published in this country. And since we're taught to be caring and sharing little kids, we do it all over the place. We draw pictures and write stories showcasing our love for those products and share them all over the internet.

We're not criminals. We're fans. But SOPA/PIPA makes all of us criminals.

Reviewers of content could have a hard time as well.

Let's say a company is promoting a brand new series. The company, who we'll call Lime Corner, has been advertising the hell out of it through many avenues, and they decide to give a webpage a first look at the new product before anybody else. The webpage posts videos and images from the production and concludes you shouldn't waste your eyeballs watching it. The site doesn't like it and tells others not to watch it. Under SOPA/PIPA, Lime Corner could file a complaint against the website for IP damage or misrepresentation. Legally, they could declare a site "rogue" and use tools to virtually eradicate a webpage, including the domain name, without even telling you.

If I get on someone's bad side because of a perceived IP violation, my whole livelihood is gone. I'd lose my domain, my brand name, MY Intellectual Property.

And that's not cool.

Right now, we still have a chance to fight back. It's not law, and the media is completely ignoring what's going on. They don't care. They bought and paid for this legislation and hoping it'll pass.

Right now, we still have a voice. And while we still have a voice, we can still use it, in unison, across ideologies, fandoms, operating systems, all things that typically divide us, and SHOUT our opposition to these two bills.

Contact your House Representatives abd Sebatirs. These guys will show you how.

Right now, WRITE NOW!