An Internet blackout Wednesday by Wikipedia, Reddit, Mozilla and thousands of other sites to protest the proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation has started to have its desired effect, says Politico.
Co-sponsors of the legislation have changed sides and other lawmakers have called for more debate before any vote. SOPA and PIPA are aimed at foreign websites that infringe copyrighted material, but may also apply to counterfeit consumer goods and medication.
A total of 103,785 people signed We the People petitions asking the Obama Administration to protect an open and innovative internet, says The Whitehouse Blog.
When it comes to trying to influence legislation, the tech world is falling behind rivals in Hollywood, reports Tech Flash. The non-profit campaign spending watchdog MapLight has conducted an analysis of campaign contributions from key industry groups to members of the U.S. Senate between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2011.
MapLight’s analysis of campaign contributions from key industry groups to members of the U.S. Senate (July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2011) found that:
- Entertainment interest groups that support these bills gave 7.2 times as much ($14,423,991) to members of the U.S. Senate as Internet interest groups that oppose these bills ($2,011,332).
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has received 4.8 times as much from entertainment interest groups that support these bills ($571,500) as from Internet interest groups that oppose these bills ($118,050).
The Senate is considering the Protect IP Act (S 968), known as PIPA, while the House is considering the Stop Online Piracy Act (HR 3261), known as SOPA.
The two bills, strongly backed by the entertainment industry, were hurtling through Congress until Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., among a small handful of lawmakers, raised alarms, notes The Oregonian.
Senator Wyden, Senator Marie Cantwell, D-Wash., and other lawmakers have offered an alternative bill that may be a smarter and better-targeted approach. The Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act which would combat the flow of infringing digital goods into the United States by expanding the International Trade Commission’s existing authority.”
Today Senator Wyden wrote in the Huffington Post:
“No one thought millions of Internet users would speak up or that those voices could overcome the power of these interests. Today you showed that the Internet is not just a platform for ideas, commerce, and expression, but also for political action that will defend those principles. Your voices must continue to be heard.”
Clay Shirky explains why SOPA is a bad idea.
The Senate is expected to vote on PIPA on Jan. 24, and Reid has indicated there could be significant changes that would make the bill a “winner for everyone, not just for the content people.”
