Tim Heath's Lounge Discussions

There's one side of the view here [vimeo.com/31100268][1] [1]: http://vimeo.com/31100268

Samy, do you think that Congress have enough understanding of the technical details of the internet e.g. the role of DNS? Do you think that they realise the reach that the legislation could have? I've heard that sites like YouTube simply would not be able to function. There's also the issue regarding sheer scale of enforcement required, my understanding is that the bill would disallow sites to link to websites that contain copyrighted material. That's rather a large figure I reckon...

SOPA and PIPA would put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. SOPA and PIPA would build a framework for future restrictions and suppression. In a world in which politicians regulate the Internet based on the influence of big money, Wikipedia — and sites like it — cannot survive. Congress says it's trying to protect the rights of copyright owners, but the "cure" that SOPA and PIPA represent is worse than the disease. SOPA and PIPA are not the answer: they would fatally damage the free and open Internet. (copied & shared)

I've yet to find anyone in favour of SOPA. Of course there are the large industry figures (e.g. Rupert Murdoch) that could benefit enormously if the bill is passed, but what about figures from the actual industries it alleges to protect? I've read that the revenue generated from the entertainment industry is fractional in comparison to companies whose income is from internet-based activity. Doesn't it stand to reason that from a tax generation point of view, if the bill reduces the entertainment industry's loss of earnings through piracy, but at the cost of damaging the business structure of internet-based companies, the argument for passing the bill is somewhat negated?