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SOPA, Really.
13 years ago
SOPA isn't a bad idea.
Oooh.... I think I just heard the sounds of people typing madly in the response box. But really. Think about it.
SOPA is a symptom of the disease that is internet piracy. Is it curing a stubbed toe with amputation? Possibly. But, to be completely frank, we don't call it piracy because the people doing it look dashing in eyepatches. We call it piracy because you are stealing. And yeah, I do it too.
But just because a lot of people do something, doesn't make it right.
The laws in place now to protect companies from piracy are weak and toothless, and so the laws have become absolutely unenforceable. That doesn't make breaking those laws right.
I hear a lot of bitching from people that want to be able to break copyright laws. They feel that the recording companies make too much, or that the prices are too extreme. It is their divine right to steal from the rich, because they are poor. I counter this with: Too Fucking Bad! These companies work in a system designed specifically to make money by doing something that you yourself cannot do. If they cannot make their assloads of money, they will stop providing the services they currently do.
Some people say, "But Gear! They'll always make money, just not as much." To that: I offer exhibit A: The Music industry.
It used to be that recording studios would take risks with uncertain and emerging artists because a: they were making a lot of money anyway and b: because even a crappy artist could pay for itself by selling to adventurous first time buyers. They don't do that anymore.
The cost of recording is only getting cheaper, but fewer new artists each year make their way into deals. I believe this is because the recording industries want to focus on where they actually make money, to preserve their margins. What does this mean? Over time, music has gotten generic. Sure, the people who have established themselves can make their own label, but as that old school ages out and retires, or dies, there are fewer new people replacing them, and the record companies are only dealing with sure things, that is: Pop and Country. Can we think of a new Rock artist in the last five years? Metal? There may be some, but the genres are dieing. So what are we going to listen to in 20 years? Justin Bieber? Amy Winehouse just died. Who else is new?
Piracy made music get bad.
Now, the legitimate arguement against SOPA is that it's a jackhammer, that it's too toothy, and that it censors the internet. There is definately something to that. It overkills, and it punishes the people that obey the law more than people willing to break it.
That said: I call bullshit on censorship.
I mean... How dare companies who have created unique material or paid for trademarks protect the product that their business depends on!? It's not censorship to force someone to remove copyrighted material. They weren't your ideas, words, or images to begin with. No one is keeping you from saying, typing, singing, or drawing anything, they want you to stop plagarising! You think you can paint like DaVinci, design like major firms, produce your own superhero movies, or sing the greates rock album that ever was? Do it. But if you can't, pay for it.
SOPA isn't designed to be law. It won't happen. But it's not dead. It's going to be watered down and a more acceptable version of it will be introduced. Possibly something like that page copyrighted material is on will be suspended, as opposed tot he entire site being shut down. And we as the internet community have to get off the idea of receiving soemthing for nothing and be prepared to pay for what we consume. We have to think of new ways as site developers to make sure that the content posted on our site doesn't break copyright laws.
We have to steal less.
Go figure.
Maybe this will clean up the internet a little. Who knows?
Oooh.... I think I just heard the sounds of people typing madly in the response box. But really. Think about it.
SOPA is a symptom of the disease that is internet piracy. Is it curing a stubbed toe with amputation? Possibly. But, to be completely frank, we don't call it piracy because the people doing it look dashing in eyepatches. We call it piracy because you are stealing. And yeah, I do it too.
But just because a lot of people do something, doesn't make it right.
The laws in place now to protect companies from piracy are weak and toothless, and so the laws have become absolutely unenforceable. That doesn't make breaking those laws right.
I hear a lot of bitching from people that want to be able to break copyright laws. They feel that the recording companies make too much, or that the prices are too extreme. It is their divine right to steal from the rich, because they are poor. I counter this with: Too Fucking Bad! These companies work in a system designed specifically to make money by doing something that you yourself cannot do. If they cannot make their assloads of money, they will stop providing the services they currently do.
Some people say, "But Gear! They'll always make money, just not as much." To that: I offer exhibit A: The Music industry.
It used to be that recording studios would take risks with uncertain and emerging artists because a: they were making a lot of money anyway and b: because even a crappy artist could pay for itself by selling to adventurous first time buyers. They don't do that anymore.
The cost of recording is only getting cheaper, but fewer new artists each year make their way into deals. I believe this is because the recording industries want to focus on where they actually make money, to preserve their margins. What does this mean? Over time, music has gotten generic. Sure, the people who have established themselves can make their own label, but as that old school ages out and retires, or dies, there are fewer new people replacing them, and the record companies are only dealing with sure things, that is: Pop and Country. Can we think of a new Rock artist in the last five years? Metal? There may be some, but the genres are dieing. So what are we going to listen to in 20 years? Justin Bieber? Amy Winehouse just died. Who else is new?
Piracy made music get bad.
Now, the legitimate arguement against SOPA is that it's a jackhammer, that it's too toothy, and that it censors the internet. There is definately something to that. It overkills, and it punishes the people that obey the law more than people willing to break it.
That said: I call bullshit on censorship.
I mean... How dare companies who have created unique material or paid for trademarks protect the product that their business depends on!? It's not censorship to force someone to remove copyrighted material. They weren't your ideas, words, or images to begin with. No one is keeping you from saying, typing, singing, or drawing anything, they want you to stop plagarising! You think you can paint like DaVinci, design like major firms, produce your own superhero movies, or sing the greates rock album that ever was? Do it. But if you can't, pay for it.
SOPA isn't designed to be law. It won't happen. But it's not dead. It's going to be watered down and a more acceptable version of it will be introduced. Possibly something like that page copyrighted material is on will be suspended, as opposed tot he entire site being shut down. And we as the internet community have to get off the idea of receiving soemthing for nothing and be prepared to pay for what we consume. We have to think of new ways as site developers to make sure that the content posted on our site doesn't break copyright laws.
We have to steal less.
Go figure.
Maybe this will clean up the internet a little. Who knows?
It demonstrates that the person posting the link is either too lazy to actually type their own opinion, or are too uninformed to paraphrase the content to something that is on track and intelligent.
That said, this guy's message and mine aren't always conflicting. I'm not saying SOPA can, or even should pass. I'm saying that we shouldn't steal, stealing has made music bad, and that something like SOPA is necessary, although SOPA itself is not.
I linked that as it better explains my opinion than I could.
Up until now there has been the free haven rule, which basically says that if someone posts something to your site, that they and not you are legally responsible. SOPA basically shifts the blame to the host. Now, my ideal would be to give existing legislation teeth enough to do real damage to pirates... But if you think that there is no way to do that, then you argue that SOPA is necessary, because it WILL deter piracy, by forcing websites to disallow public posting.
In a nutshell: Something has to be done. I think that SOPA is too heavy handed, because I also think that there are other things lawmakers can do and enforce that would work. If you argue that there is no solution to piracy, you argue that SOPA is necessary, because it WILL keep people from being ABLE to pirate.
SOPA is supported by Hollywood and some other companies, regardless, I refer to them all as Hollywood. SOPA and PIPA are the sign of their failure to innovate and their failure to bring. So now they turn to the one thing they can, Piracy. Alongside that, they're trying to do what corporations do best, fuck everyone over. When they can find a way not to intrude on my constitutional rights, go right ahead, until then, fuck off.
It doesn't matter how much money these corporations make. It really doesn't people get too caught up in the idea that if corporations made less money, the world would be better. They provide essential services that we as the general population are unable or unwilling to do. Life without corporations would SUCK.
And are you really saying that there's no way to access movies, games, music, books and art without stealing them? With iTunes, netflix, Steam, and eBooks? No. You're saying you want copyrighted material for free, because you feel like you're entitled to something for nothing. Thief.
I don't support SOPA, or PIPA, but I understand the reasons why they're on the table. SOPA will not pass. And it shouldn't. But as opposed to getting butthurt that it might pass, we all have to wise up. This is an example of what will happen if things continue as they are. You are stealing from people and they don't like it.
The services provided by MOST those who are behind SOPA are non-essential and are easily replaced more companies that aren't spewing bullshit because they're losing profits.
Valve has already stated that they are against SOPA and that the only way, in their vision, to deal with piracy is to appeal to them. Which online programs such as mentioned do. It is also a proven that many people who pirate games, videos, etc. have a very high chance of going out and purchasing that product if they liked it.
As you have mentioned already. I am not concerned with this.
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As I've mentioned before, there is no true way to deal with piracy. Unless you shut down the internet all together, let's face it. SOPA/PIPA/Anything else can't do a thing. These feeble attempts are useless and I certainly do believe that SOPA and PIPA are part of the possible downfall of the Movie Industry and such else.
As for the rest of it, in order:
No one is proposing to censor anything. It's not that you can't post something because the idea is wrong, or unpopular or controversial. It just has to be your unique idea. What they're proposing is anti-plagarism. Anti theft. You show me a constitutional right to steal someone's property, or a constutional right to plagarize someone else's work, and I'll completely conceed the issue.
And of course Hollywood is non-essential! You don't have to watch movies to sustain life. But the fact is that these companies provide a service that the majority or people cannot do. My essential comment was towards corporations in general; such as Waste Management who haul your garbage away, or Apple, or your local power company, or the contract company that builds codndos, the farming corporations that grow your food, or the clothing manufacturers that create the clothes you wear.
And yeah, I saw the guy in the link mention this as well. Are you telling me that iTunes doesn't make it easy enough to download music? Are you insane? What more could they do? Send reps to your home to click the bloody buttons? No, saying piracy is a service issue is a cop out. This is a digital world and I can't think of a media that doesn't have a completely easy, simple, and legal way of getting their material to you. It all boils down to money, and our fixation with something for nothing. That you even continue to argue the illegal, immoral practise of piracy is why we're at this point!
Saying "There's no way to deal with piracy" is another cop out. Sure there is! We just need to put a little effort into it. It's like saying "There's no way to stop gun violence" So what? We just let people shoot eachother? I know that's a hugely overblown statement, but it's apt. Just because something is difficult doesn't mean it's not worth doing. Just because it's unpopular doesn't mean it isn't right.