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SOPA is Dead as Rep. Smith Pulls Out Bill

January 21st 2012 Posted at Websites
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Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas has announced yesterday that he is pulling the bill pending deliberation. This is what the lawmaker has to say (taken from Mashable.com)

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith (R-Texas) said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”

And here is the rest of the statement that he released, even if it was only two days ago that he was adamant about the bill, lambasting Wikipedia for staging a blackout protest.

“We need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products. The problem of online piracy is too big to ignore. American intellectual property industries provide 19 million high-paying jobs and account for more than 60% of U.S. exports. The theft of America’s intellectual property costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion annually and results in the loss of thousands of American jobs. Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while American innovators and job creators are under attack.

“The online theft of American intellectual property is no different than the theft of products from a store. It is illegal and the law should be enforced both in the store and online.

“The Committee will continue work with copyright owners, Internet companies, financial institutions to develop proposals that combat online piracy and protect America’s intellectual property. We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who have an honest difference of opinion about how best to address this widespread problem. The Committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”

This news is very relieving to many parties thriving in the online world.

Feds Shut Down File Sharing Website Megaupload.com

January 20th 2012 Posted at Web Hosting
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The federal government of the United States shut down Megaupload.com and has arrested its major key players. Megaupload is the world’s largest file-sharing sites because it was charged with violating piracy laws by sharing copyrighted content.

The indictment against Megaupload.com accused the site of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue. It came a day after several websites held a blackout protest against the passing of the SOPA and PIPA.

Along with the shut down, the Justice Department also said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom (a.k.a. Kim Schmitz) and three other company executives were arrested last Thursday in New Zealand at the request of U.S. officials. Although Megaupload, which is based in Hong Kong, listed musician Swizz Beatz as its CEO, he was not included in the indictment. Beatz is the husband of singer Alicia Keys, a supporter of the website.

Megaupload was one of the world’s biggest content sharing website. It boasts of 150 million users and has the endorsement of celebrities like Keys, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West, among others. “The fact is that the vast majority of Mega’s Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch,” the statement from the website said. The website allows its users to download games, films, TV shows, music and other copyrighted content for free. However, they made money through subscription charges for faster download speeds and advertising.

Rep. Lamar Smith Schedules SOPA Debate

January 18th 2012 Posted at Websites
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Congressman Lamar Smith of the 21st District of Texas is one controversial man these days because of the bill that he passed–the now infamous SOPA or the Stop Online Piracy Act. Smith has scheduled a markup session in Congress next month where the bill might be altered.

Here is an excerpt in the article published by Mashable.com.

In a markup session, a bill is opened to members of the House Judicial Committee for debate, amendments and other changes. The House will not be taking a final vote on SOPA. The markup session was announced via a statement from the House Committee on the Judiciary, of which Rep. Smith (R-Texas) is the chair.

In another statement, Rep. Smith lambasted Wikipedia for its decision to blackout in protest of SOPA:

“It is ironic that a website dedicated to providing information is spreading misinformation about the Stop Online Piracy Act,” reads the statement. “The bill will not harm Wikipedia, domestic blogs or social networking sites. This publicity stunt does a disservice to its users by promoting fear instead of facts. Perhaps during the blackout, Internet users can look elsewhere for an accurate definition of online piracy.”

On Friday, Rep. Smith announced he would remove the DNS blocking and rerouting provisions of the bill, considered the most onerous by many in the tech community. As first written, SOPA would have allowed copyright holders and the federal government the ability to remove infringing websites from the DNS (Domain Name System). Many tech experts claimed this would have had negative consequences for the stability, speed and security of the Internet.

DNS works as a sort of “phone book” for the internet. When a user types a URL into a browser, DNS helps the users’ computer find and speak with the correct server hosting the content the user wants to access. If a website is taken off the DNS system, it becomes more difficult for the average Internet user to arrive at that site.

The news comes after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) assured a colleague there would not be a vote on SOPA unless there was “consensus” on the bill. After Cantor’s statement, many presumed SOPA dead in the water, and the focus shifted to a similar Senate bill (the Protect IP Act).

Rep. Smith’s scheduling of a markup session suggests SOPA isn’t quite dead yet.

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