Comments on: Lessons Learned from SOPA http://www.cstrom.com/news/2012/01/lessons-learned-from-sopa/ The latest web design and graphic design news from Chris Strom Wed, 02 May 2012 03:16:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: admin http://www.cstrom.com/news/2012/01/lessons-learned-from-sopa/comment-page-1/#comment-1314 admin Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:43:26 +0000 http://www.cstrom.com/news/?p=1888#comment-1314 I agree -- I think this is definitely just the first instance of a much longer debate on protecting intellectual property online. I can certainly understand the viewpoint of the content creators -- I'm sure that my own content has been used in violation of copyright online before. The most concerning thing about this bill, to me, was the shift in liability that seemed to say that any website with user feedback or user upload functionality -- such as this comment thread that I'm writing right now -- could be considered guilty of encouraging copyright infringement by default. It's certainly a tough issue, and we'll definitely see more legal permutations of this in the future, but hopefully future legislation won't be quite so ham-handed in its attempted enforcement measures. I agree — I think this is definitely just the first instance of a much longer debate on protecting intellectual property online. I can certainly understand the viewpoint of the content creators — I’m sure that my own content has been used in violation of copyright online before. The most concerning thing about this bill, to me, was the shift in liability that seemed to say that any website with user feedback or user upload functionality — such as this comment thread that I’m writing right now — could be considered guilty of encouraging copyright infringement by default. It’s certainly a tough issue, and we’ll definitely see more legal permutations of this in the future, but hopefully future legislation won’t be quite so ham-handed in its attempted enforcement measures.

]]> By: David http://www.cstrom.com/news/2012/01/lessons-learned-from-sopa/comment-page-1/#comment-1313 David Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:15:48 +0000 http://www.cstrom.com/news/?p=1888#comment-1313 What I found during the weeks of SOPA building to a head was that a low % of people online did show that they read and understood the good and bad in the bill. But as it happens in any communication, the majority catch onto some descriptive phrases here or some fear mongering there, and the purpose behind the message is rhetoric. Just surface level. And in this case corporations and small businesses were even demonized. Okay, That also always happens. When I first read the bill and the list of pro and con supporters it looked like the first shot over the bow of a much longer battle. It looked like a bill that would bring attention to the fight IP creators had to deal with to protect their work on the internet. It looked like the solution carried a big stick. So it is my hope going forward that webside stakeholders and lawmakers put in realistic mechanisms to cut down or eliminate IP piracy. time will tell. What I found during the weeks of SOPA building to a head was that a low % of people online did show that they read and understood the good and bad in the bill. But as it happens in any communication, the majority catch onto some descriptive phrases here or some fear mongering there, and the purpose behind the message is rhetoric. Just surface level. And in this case corporations and small businesses were even demonized. Okay, That also always happens.

When I first read the bill and the list of pro and con supporters it looked like the first shot over the bow of a much longer battle. It looked like a bill that would bring attention to the fight IP creators had to deal with to protect their work on the internet. It looked like the solution carried a big stick.

So it is my hope going forward that webside stakeholders and lawmakers put in realistic mechanisms to cut down or eliminate IP piracy. time will tell.

]]>