[vox] Take action now against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)

[timriley at appahost.com]

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [vox] Take action now against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)
> From: Brian Lavender <brian at brie.com>
> Date: Tue, November 29, 2011 7:03 pm
> To: LUGOD's general discussion mailing list <vox at lists.lugod.org>
> 
> 
> Don't trust SOPA. Take action now
> https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/protect-ip-act-very-real-very-bad-call-now-block-it

Just for the sake of completeness, allow me to present the other side.

<snip> 

> 
> DMCA is a terrible law.

The issue is SOPA, not DMCA.

<snip>
 
> A blacklist. Security by creating IP addresses blocklists is preposterous.

The issue is not security.

<snip>

> The terrorists you should ask yourself about are the drone strikes
> operated out of Pakistan by our country.

The issue is not terrorism nor Pakistan.

Instead, this issue is to promote capitalism by enforcing
copyright laws.

Say a band spends good money to rent recording studio time
in the U.S. to produce music. Then U.S. copyright laws will
"protect the exclusive use" of that music.

If someone within the U.S. infringes upon that right,
then the band has the U.S. courts available for redress.
Or a U.S. Attorney General might get involved.

However, if someone outside the U.S. gives the band's music
away on the Internet, then the band can't sell their music
to recoup the recording studio cost nor make a profit. This
undermines capitalism. Making an investment with the
hope of generating enough revenues to recoup that
investment and make a profit is the essence of capitalism.

<snip>