Tech and Media Elite Are Likely to Debate Piracy; New York Times, 7/9/12

Amy Chozick, New York Times; Tech and Media Elite Are Likely to Debate Piracy:

"In the aftermath, Hollywood has increased its efforts to get online payment companies, cloud services and Internet service providers to voluntarily help curtail pirated movies, TV and music, particularly from foreign Web sites.

Months before the debates erupted in January, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, PayPal and Visa agreed on a set of best practices to reduce the sale of counterfeited pirated goods. In 2010, Yahoo, PayPal, GoDaddy, Google and others formed a nonprofit intended to combat the sale of illegal pharmaceuticals online, one issue SOPA and PIPA were initially meant to address.

The Sun Valley conference could provide a tranquil backdrop for the continued construction of a fence between media and technology.

“We thought about what’s in the long-term interest of the Internet ecosystem. And that’s a set of best practices that people feel comfortable with,” said Cary Sherman, chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America."

Potential SOPA/PIPA Revisions; New York Times, 1/22/12

Brian McFadden, The Strip, New York Times; Potential SOPA/PIPA Revisions

What’s the Best Way to Protect Against Online Piracy?; New York Times, 1/20/12

New York Times; What’s the Best Way to Protect Against Online Piracy? :
"In response to online protests on Wednesday, several key Congressional lawmakers withdrew support for two anti-Web piracy measures — the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act — both of which have the backing of powerful commercial lobbies. Although the reaction was a victory for new media, online intellectual piracy remains a serious issue.

What’s the best way to protect against online piracy? Is there a better alternative to these two bills?"

Web Protests Piracy Bills, and 2 Senators Change Course; New York Times, 1/18/12

Jonathan Weisman, New York Times; Web Protests Piracy Bills, and 2 Senators Change Course:

"Freshman Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a rising Republican star, was first out of the starting gate Wednesday morning with his announcement that he would no longer back anti-Internet piracy legislation he had co-sponsored. Senator John Cornyn, the Texas Republican who heads the campaign operation for his party, quickly followed suit and urged Congress take more time to study the measure that had been set for a test vote next week."

SOPA, Internet Piracy And Power; NPR's On Point, 1/18/12

NPR's On Point; SOPA, Internet Piracy And Power:

"Go to Wikipedia today and you’re going to get a dark screen. Same at Reddit and BoingBoing. Even giant Google has blacked out its famous logo – though its searches go on. The target of all the Internet protest is legislation on Capitol Hill aimed at stopping Internet pirates – pirates stealing movies and music and more.

Critics of the legislation say it takes a full cannonade to a narrow piracy problem. That it threatens to sink Internet freedom and innovation under censorship and firewalls. It’s a battle royal."

Wikipedia goes dark for 24 hours to protest web piracy bills; Foxnews.com, 1/18/12

Foxnews.com; Wikipedia goes dark for 24 hours to protest web piracy bills:

"Can the world live without Wikipedia for a day?

The online encyclopedia is one of the Internet's most visited sites, and at midnight Eastern Standard Time it began a 24-hour "blackout" in protest against proposed anti-piracy legislation that many leading websites -- including Reddit, Google, Facebook, Amazon and others -- contend will make it challenging if not impossible for them to operate."

Protest on Web Uses Shutdown to Take On Two Piracy Bills; New York Times, 1/17/12

Jenna Wortham, New York Times; Protest on Web Uses Shutdown to Take On Two Piracy Bills:

"“This is the first real test of the political strength of the Web, and regardless of how things go, they are no longer a pushover,” said Professor Wu, who is the author of “The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires.” He added, “The Web taking a stand against one of the most powerful lobbyers and seeming to get somewhere is definitely a first.”

Under the proposed legislation, if a copyright holder like Warner Brothers discovers that a foreign site is focused on offering illegal copies of songs or movies, it could seek a court order that would require search engines like Google to remove links to the site and require advertising companies to cut off payments to it."

New 'Firewall' song protests SOPA copyright bill (Q&A); CNet, 12/20/11

Declan McCullagh, CNet; New 'Firewall' song protests SOPA copyright bill (Q&A) :

"The songwriter behind the 2007 Internet hit "I Got a Crush on Obama" is now taking aim at the Stop Online Piracy Act.

Leah Kauffman, a Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter, has released "Firewall" to protest the Hollywood-backed copyright bill, which a House of Representatives committee had been scheduled to debate tomorrow. Earlier today, the committee debate was postponed until 2012.

In addition, Dan Bull, a U.K. singer, has released "SOPA Cabana," a none-too-flattering rap taking aim against SOPA. (SOPA can "ban" you--get it?)

Opposition from the two musicians is notable because the Recording Industry Association of America has been one of the leading supporters of SOPA and a Senate version called Protect IP."

All Eyes On US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA): Fate Of Bill Now Unclear; Intellectual Property Watch, 1/17/12

Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch; All Eyes On US Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA): Fate Of Bill Now Unclear:

"Meanwhile, tomorrow (18 January), thousands of websites such as Reddit, BoingBoing, Free Press, Wikipedia, and others plan to “go dark” (#SOPAblackout on Twitter) in protest of the bill. Some critics are also organising a flood of censored posts on Facebook to coincide with the blackout. People are also taking to Twitter to ask for simple blackout codes so their sites can participate in the day of protest.

“The uncertainty and the compliance burden … would just make it unprofitable to run Reddit and we would shut down,” Erik Martin, general manager of Reddit, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “As far as what the internet would look like … they’re [venture capitalists] just not going to be funding companies in this area. …It has a chilling effect.”

But not all technology companies are on board with the blackout. Twitter, for one won’t join, and Facebook is not encouraging the move."

White House Says It Opposes Parts of Two Antipiracy Bills; New York Times, 1/14/12

Edward Wyatt, New York Times; White House Says It Opposes Parts of Two Antipiracy Bills:

"The Obama administration said Saturday that it strongly opposed central elements of two Congressional efforts to enforce copyrights on the Internet, all but killing the current versions of legislation that has divided both political parties and pitted Hollywood against Silicon Valley."

US pressured Spain to implement online piracy law, leaked files shows; Guardian, 1/5/12

Dominic Rushne, Guardian; US pressured Spain to implement online piracy law, leaked files shows:

"The US ambassador in Madrid threatened Spain with "retaliation actions" if the country did not pass tough new internet piracy laws, according to leaked documents.

The latest revelation comes amid a fierce debate over America's own plans to pass online piracy legislation that critics claim will damage the infrastructure of the internet and restrict free speech."

The Danger of an Attack on Piracy Online; New York Times, 1/1/12

David Carr, New York Times; The Danger of an Attack on Piracy Online:

"Given both Congress’s and the entertainment industry’s historically wobbly grasp of technology, I don’t think they should be the ones re-engineering the Internet. The rest of us might have to just hold our noses and learn enough about SOPA to school them in why it’s a bad idea."

Library Copyright Alliance Releases Letter Welcoming OPEN Act; Digital Shift, 12/16/11

David Rapp, Digital Shift; Library Copyright Alliance Releases Letter Welcoming OPEN Act:

"Earlier this week, the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA)—made up of the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Association of College & Research Libraries—released an open letter [PDF] to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), “welcoming [the] release” of a discussion draft bill the legislators have sponsored. Called the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act, the bill has been touted as a potential alternative to SOPA."

Lines Drawn on Antipiracy Bills; New York Times, 12/14/11

Edward Wyatt, New York Times; Lines Drawn on Antipiracy Bills:

"A House committee plans to take up one of the bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, on Thursday...

“Our mistake was allowing this romantic word — piracy — to take hold,” Tom Rothman, the co-chief executive of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said in an interview last week in Washington.

“It’s really robbery — it’s theft — and that theft is being combined with consumer fraud,” he said."

SOPA on the ropes? Bipartisan alternative to 'Net censorship emerges; ArsTechnica.com, 12/2/11

Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica.com; SOPA on the ropes? Bipartisan alternative to 'Net censorship emerges:

"But rightsholders do need some means of enforcing copyrights and trademarks, something tough to do when a site sets up overseas and willfully targets American consumers with fake goods and unauthorized content...

Fortunately, plenty can be done, and it can be done in a way that doesn't raise the same immediate concerns about due process and censorship. One promising alternative was unveiled today by a bipartisan group of 10 senators and representatives. It ditches the “law and order” approach to piracy and replaces it with a more limited, trade-based system.

And the legislators behind it have put out a draft of the idea for public comment before they even begin drawing up actual legislation."

Colbert Takes On SOPA; TechDirt.com, 12/2/11

Mike Masnick, TechDirt.com; Colbert Takes On SOPA:

"Want to see just how mainstream the issues of SOPA and PROTECT IP are becoming? Last night they made it on to The Colbert Report, where he had a bit of a debate about SOPA, between record label owner Danny Goldberg and Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain. It kicked off with a short segment, where Colbert explained the issue."