SOPA & PIPA

If you've been reading my rants for a while you know that I am fiercely anti-piracy. I am totally opposed to the theft - online or otherwise - of intellectual property. That I consider those people who upload copyrighted lesfic books to pirate sites, and "share" them illegally, to be scum.

So, I'm in favour of SOPA & PIPA (even though I'm not a US American) - right??

Wrong.

These bills are not just using a sledgehammer to crack a nut - they're using a bloody nuclear warhead!!

Why??

Because under these bills this site would not exist.

Because we link to fanfiction which is published on websites and in blogs which also host wallpapers, user pics, avatars, icons, LOLcats and similar. And those things use copyright images. And some of those sites also host fan-vids. Which use copyright film. And even though we don't host those things, or even link to them, simply linking to a site that also has links to them is enough to get us banned.

If these bills become law in their present state then all of your favourite fanfiction sites could disappear. And (technically) so could Google. And YouTube. And even Amazon.

And don't think you'll be safe if (like me) you're not in the USA and your site isn't hosted in the USA. Because under these bills the US government could force all ISP in (or owned in) the USA to block your sites for everyone. And you know what else they could do?? They could force (US) ISPs to cut off internet access to the people who they think might have had some contact - however tenuous, however accidental, to a site that might have had a link to a site that might be a pirate. The US government will own the web.

Right now - even without the increased power that these bills give the USA there is a British citizen being extradited to the USA for having links to sites that do host stolen works. Note - he doesn't host them, he doesn't recommend them, he doesn't endorse them. He merely hosts a website that lists them. Just like Google does. And what he is doing is not a crime. Not here in the UK. But the US government still wants him - and the British government - as is its habit when the US says "jump" has jumped. He could get 15 years in gaol. The USA has that power.

And these bills will extend that power a thousandfold

So yeah - I'm rabidly anti-piracy - anti-theft. And yeah - something needs to be done to close - effectively - worldwide - the sites which deliberately host these stolen works. But these bills are not the solution. These bills are the crudest form of censorship imaginable. These bills are badly drawn, badly phrased and unbelievably draconian in nature. And you know what?? They won't stop the pirates - they'll merely destroy the websites of millions of innocent people.

First amendment?? What first amendment??

Oppose them with everything you have.

And on that cheerful note - see you next week. Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

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