CEI Weekly: What's Wrong With the Stop Online Piracy Act?

Friday, January 20, 2012

Feature: On Wednesday, hundreds of websites protested controversial legislation aimed at curbing Internet piracy.

FEATURE: What's Wrong With the Stop Online Piracy Act? If you used the Internet this past Wednesday, you know about the widespread web protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). CEI has long stood in opposition to these anti-piracy bills, which, while well-intentioned, would harm security, innovation, and freedom on the Internet. On Thursday, CEI Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia moderated a panel discussion on the bills' flaws. Radia also appeared on ABC 7 News to discuss SOPA. Watch his interview here. SHAPING THE DEBATE The Report on Carcinogens Richard B. Belzer' Issue Analysis Obama Channels Cheney Iain Murray and David Bier's op-ed in The Sacramento Bee & The Miami Herald The Ability to Fire People Creates More and Better Jobs William Frezza's column in Forbes Columnist Wants Consumer Bureau to Be Big Brother John Berlau's op-ed in The American Spectator Wisconsin Union Holding Federal Funds Hostage Trey Kovacs' op-ed in The Washington Examiner "Climate" and the Campaign Chris Horner's post in The American Spectator Blogs Law Schools Taking More and More Criticism Hans Bader's citation in National Review Obama is Ignoring His Own Jobs Council's Recommendations Wayne Crews' citation in The Daily Caller A Tale of Two Energy Policies Matt Patterson's citation in The Pelican Post

CEI PODCAST January 18, 2012 -- Dropping the SOPA Wikipedia, Reddit, and other popular websites all went black today to protest SOPA and PIPA, two bills currently before Congress. Critics charge that the bills could potentially shut down the Internet as we know it. Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia explains how the bills would work, and how they would indeed stifle free speech. BEST OF THE BLOGS Obama Administration to People Needing Bone Marrow Transplants: Drop Dead By Hans Bader Where Would Jesus Frack? By Myron Ebell Media: If You Wear Headphones While Walking, You're As Good As Dead By Marc Scribner Gas Technolution Lowers Electricity Rates For All Except Green Energy Enthusiasts By William Yeatman Environmental Persuasion of Eco-Rhetoric By Jackie Moreau

Senate, House Postpone Internet Policing Legislation, ALG Responds

Jan. 20, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today responded to reports that both the House and Senate were delaying action on legislation that will censor the Internet in the name of protecting copyright:

"It certainly is encouraging to see both houses of Congress delay action on these pieces of legislation that would have aggressively policed the Internet.  This is a victory for those who believe in an open Internet.  However, in light of recent events, including the prosecution of overseas-based Megaupload utilizing existing laws and diplomacy, it is as clear as day that new laws are completely unnecessary to do what supporters of the legislation say they want.  The question becomes: If the new laws are not necessary to get at foreign infringers what is the real reason behind the proposals?

"To which, you have to consider what the proposed pieces of legislation would change.  As drafted, they would have provided for DNS blocking, removal from search engines, and shutting off of ad revenue and payment processing — all based merely on the accusation of piracy.  So, before a defendant is even able to defend him or herself in court, their business is effectively shut down completely.  The government has already been exercising these powers domestically, and in some cases errantly, as with the case of dajaz1.com. 

"The bills also provided for private rights of action against Internet service providers, search engines, ad providers, and payment processors that currently do not exist under law.  So, instead of the delicate balance that currently exists under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, where protected materials are removed based on legitimate takedown notices, the balance would shift completely to the IP holders, who merely through the threat of action could leverage very popular websites like YouTube, Facebook, Google, and Twitter that have been complying with the law all along.

"Merely shelving these bills, when it is perfectly clear they are unnecessary, is not enough.  They need to be dropped completely.  If Congress should be studying anything, it should be their own ignorance of the laws that are already on the books, instead of examining more closely whether or not to institute a regime of censorship."

Attachments:

"Begun, the Cyber Wars Have," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Jan. 20, 2012) at http://netrightdaily.com/2012/01/the-cyber-wars-have-begun/ .

14 SOPA and PIPA cosponsors drop support, ALG encourages other backers to reconsider support, Press Statement, (Jan. 19, 2012) at http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=822 .

"SOPA Support Imploding," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano

 (Jan. 19, 2012) at http://netrightdaily.com/2012/01/sopa-support-implodes/

ALG praises Wikipedia.org and Other Websites for Striking Against

Online Censorship Bill (Jan. 18, 2012) at http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=820

SOPA: Lamar Smith's copyright hypocrisy, ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Jan. 17, 2012) at http://netrightdaily.com/2012/01/lamar-smiths-copyright-hypocrisy/ .

"Government Already Blocking Internet Access," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Dec. 16, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/12/government-already-blocking-internet-access/ .

ALG: Internet Censorship Bill 'un-American', Press Release (Dec. 14, 2011) at http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=807 .

Letter to Members of the House Judiciary Committee, ALG President Bill Wilson (Dec.14, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AntiSOPA-12-14-11.pdf .

"An Internet Without Uploading?" ALG President Bill Wilson (Dec. 14, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/12/an-internet-without-uploading/ .

"Internet piracy bill: A free speech 'kill switch'," ALG President Bill Wilson, The Hill (Dec. 12, 2011) at http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/198687-internet-piracy-bill-a-free-speech-kill-switch .

Interview with ALG President Bill Wilson, WGEM, Hosts Rich Cain and Lindsey Hess, Quincy, IL (Dec. 12, 2011) at http://my.wgem.com/_Bill-Wilson-Americans-for-Limited-Govt/audio/916294/29404.html .

"Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Dec. 12, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/12/legislation-by-rep-lamar-smith-equals-internet-censorship/ .

Bipartisan Letter from Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Rep. Darrell Issa against Internet Censorship Bill (Nov. 8, 2011) at http://gov20.govfresh.com/issa-and-lofgren-dear-colleague-letter-versus-sopa/ .

Three Libertarians Raise Concerns about the Stop Online Piracy Act, Cato Institute (Nov. 7, 2011) at http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/three-libertarians-raise-concerns-about-the-stop-online-piracy-act/ .

 "Guilty until proven innocent," By ALG Communications Director Rick Manning, Nov. 16, 2011 at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-a-budget/193901-guilty-until-proven-innocent .

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

CEI - Today: executive power, SOPA/PIPA, culture wars

EXECUTIVE POWER - IAIN MURRAY

NEW! on The Daily Mail: Obama Rex may have regained the political initiative, but he has done so by abusing his powers

Last year, the received wisdom was that Washington DC was paralyzed by gridlock. The President and the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, were locked in an unending struggle that would only be broken when the American people pulled them apart in November 2012, deciding which direction the country would take.

In the last few months, however, the President has pushed forward his agenda in uncompromising fashion, regaining much of the political initiative. The only problem is that he has done so in a way that abuses his powers. 2012 may therefore prove to be the high water mark of the Imperial Presidency. > Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2089209/Obama-Rex.html

> Read more by Iain Murray, Director of CEI's Center for Economic Freedom

CULTURE - MATT PATTERSON PJ Media: Can America Turn It Around? History proves we can, but we are saddled by a new caveat. Lethargy has replaced liberty as the animating spirit of the Greek and Italian people. Those who once fought for their freedom are now fighting for their handouts. It just goes to show how far the mighty can fall, and how seductive and poisonous are the fruits of government dependency. We ignore the lesson at our peril. Read More at PJ Media > Read more by Matt Patterson, CEI Warren Brookes Journalism Fellow

TECH POLICY - RYAN RADIA Online piracy bills SOPA and PIPA could change the way the Internet works. > View the video: http://ceiondemand.org/2012/01/19/ryan-radia-sopa-could-change-the-way-the-internet-works/ > Read more by Ryan Radia, Associate Director of Technology Studies

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website, cei.org, and blogs, Globalwarming.org and OpenMarket.org.  Follow CEI on Twitter! Twitter.com/ceidotorg.

14 SOPA and PIPA cosponsors drop support, ALG encourages other backers to reconsider support

Jan. 19, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today urged cosponsors of legislation in both houses of Congress to censor the Internet in the name of protecting copyright to reconsider their support as 14 cosponsors have already dropped support:

"The American people have spoken, with the urging of popular websites like Wikipedia, through hundreds of thousands of emails and phone calls to members of Congress in opposition to a big government takeover of the Internet. It led to no less than 14 cosponsors of SOPA and PIPA to drop their support, eight in the Senate alone. Now it is time for other cosponsors to respond to the will of the American people as well.

"There simply is no constituency for legislation that, in the name of protecting copyright, institutionalizes a system of blocking entire websites, removing visibility from search engines, and targeting ad providers, all based merely on the accusation of intellectual property theft. Existing law already provides for the removal of copyrighted material from the Internet domestically, and dealing with foreign infringement requires diplomacy with relevant nations overseas, not a regime of censorship here at home."

Attachments:

"SOPA Support Imploding," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano, Jan. 19, 2012 at http://netrightdaily.com/2012/01/sopa-support-implodes/

ALG praises Wikipedia.org and Other Websites for Striking Against

Online Censorship Bill, Jan. 18, 2012 at http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=820

SOPA: Lamar Smith's copyright hypocrisy, ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Jan. 17, 2012) at http://netrightdaily.com/2012/01/lamar-smiths-copyright-hypocrisy/ .

 "Government Already Blocking Internet Access," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Dec. 16, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/12/government-already-blocking-internet-access/ .

ALG: Internet Censorship Bill 'un-American', Press Release (Dec. 14, 2011) at http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=807 .

Letter to Members of the House Judiciary Committee, ALG President Bill Wilson (Dec.14, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/AntiSOPA-12-14-11.pdf .

"An Internet Without Uploading?" ALG President Bill Wilson (Dec. 14, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/12/an-internet-without-uploading/ .

"Internet piracy bill: A free speech 'kill switch'," ALG President Bill Wilson, The Hill (Dec. 12, 2011) at http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/198687-internet-piracy-bill-a-free-speech-kill-switch .

Interview with ALG President Bill Wilson, WGEM, Hosts Rich Cain and Lindsey Hess, Quincy, IL (Dec. 12, 2011) at http://my.wgem.com/_Bill-Wilson-Americans-for-Limited-Govt/audio/916294/29404.html .

"Legislation by Rep. Lamar Smith equals Internet censorship," ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano (Dec. 12, 2011) at http://netrightdaily.com/2011/12/legislation-by-rep-lamar-smith-equals-internet-censorship/ .

Bipartisan Letter from Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Rep. Darrell Issa against Internet Censorship Bill (Nov. 8, 2011) at http://gov20.govfresh.com/issa-and-lofgren-dear-colleague-letter-versus-sopa/ .

Three Libertarians Raise Concerns about the Stop Online Piracy Act, Cato Institute (Nov. 7, 2011) at http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/three-libertarians-raise-concerns-about-the-stop-online-piracy-act/ .

"Guilty until proven innocent," By ALG Communications Director Rick Manning, Nov. 16, 2011 at http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-a-budget/193901-guilty-until-proven-innocent .

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

US Rep Bass: Stop Online Piracy Act Threatens Internet Freedom

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) issued the following statement this morning regarding H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

Bass said:

“No one questions that online piracy and counterfeiting are real problems with detrimental impacts to rightsholders, their employees, consumers, and the U.S. economy.  However, I have serious concerns that the Stop Online Piracy Act goes too far in undermining the critical freedoms and functions of the Internet in the name of stopping this illegal activity and I am opposed to the bill as it is written. 

“As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over issues of telecommunications and technology, I understand and appreciate the dynamic nature of the Internet that has enabled it to become a platform for a democratic exchange of ideas and an engine of economic growth.  I am pleased that the proponents of anti-piracy legislation have recently acknowledged concerns over the potential threats to Internet security, and hope that the conversation can continue to move forward to consensus legislation that properly balances the need for law enforcement with the fundamental liberties of a free society.”