SOPA lives—and MPAA calls protests an "abuse of power"

SOPA lives—and MPAA calls protests an "abuse of power"

arstechnica.com

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has looked at tomorrow's "Internet blackout" in opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)—and it sees only a "gimmick," a "stunt," "hyperbole," "a dangerous and troubling development," an "irresponsible response," and an "abuse of power."

(visit the link for the full news article)

Kettle, meet pot. To call websites who may well end up having to shut down trying to bring attention to their cause "an abuse of power" shows how far removed from reality some of these idiots are.

How about the abuse of power the MPAA is using by buying favors from government? How is it not an abuse of power to make sure your outdated 20th century cartel doesn't have to compete in a 21st century marketplace?

arstechnica.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

House to take up SOPA in February

Originally posted by DancedWithWolves
Did you know: Former Sen. Chris Dodd is the CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, the film industry’s largest lobby, and he is mad that you are mad about SOPA. The revolving door between CONgress and lobbyist's offices seems to be working fine (for them.)

Former Senator Dodd says:

“A so-called ‘blackout’ is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals,” Dodd added. “It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this ‘blackout’ to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.”

Story

No wonder SOPA is back on the table. The revolving door landed Dodd in the cushy driver's seat of the MPAA. Bet he's making serious bank now, and oh look, he's still trying to make laws too.

Sorry former Sen. Dodd, SOPA is the gimmick in this scenario and a dangerous one too. You think we are protesting SOPA to punish officials?

No. Mr. Dodd, people and business are actually protesting because SOPA sucks. What is a gimmick is for the House to say SOPA is off the table and then 24 hours later say it's back on.

Facing a competitive reelection bid for his Senate seat in 2010 and trailing against both of his likely Republican challengers in public opinion polling,[9] Dodd announced in January 2010 that he would not seek re-election for a sixth term in the Senate. Polls of Connecticut voters in 2008 and 2009 had consistently suggested Dodd would have difficulty winning re-election, with 46% viewing his job performance as fair or poor and a majority stating they would vote to replace Dodd in the 2010 election.[10] ] Dodd was succeeded by Richard Blumenthal. On March 1, 2011, the Motion Picture Association of America announced that Dodd will head that organization. [3]

Wikipedia link - sign their petition against SOPA/PIPA on your way through

Scrub SOPA
Send PIPA packing.

Well of course the MPAA is going to back SOPA. No surprise there, But to call it an "abuse of power"?. Laughable, and completely incorrect. They are just squirming in their soiled diapers. For now, We all have the right to protest crap we don't agree with. This includes the MPAA... who are obviously being abusive with their power to protest the protesters..

reply to post by DancedWithWolves
I believe my thread has some merit to stay on its own because your thread concerned that the House would be taking SOPA back up. This is about the backers of SOPA trying to play PR and showing their true colors.

So, freedom of speech is an abuse of power unless it comes in the form of campaign donations to politicians. I'm surprised they didn't go as far to call it unpatriotic going against the wishes of corporate America.

Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has called a hearing that will bring more voices from the technology industry to Washington, D.C. to discuss how legislation such as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would affect the Internet. On Jan. 18, industry representatives that include Brad Burnham from Union Square Ventures; Lanham Napier, the CEO of Rackspace Hosting; and Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit.com, will testify before Congress.

Tech gets its day in Congress as SOPA fight continues

Its not over.

Every Website should be protesting.

We have the power to protest what we want
These bills will not stop piracy in the least,
it will just give the MPAA and the RIAA another means of suing absolutely anyone who even sneezes a youtube link with copyright material.

Abuse of power? Screw you.(them)
Avatar made #1 movie of all time,
They don't need my 25 dollars.

MPAA can suck it up, because if SOPA passes, there is going to be a lot of pissed off people.

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse

I do too, that's why I cross posted who is currently pulling the MPAA strings to continue the discussion in your's. The more breaking SOPA news the better.

Peace.

ETA: People Power (for those who may have missed it the first time around)

Boycott SOPA: An Android app that terrifies publishers and politicians

Armchair activists now have a tool that can transport their SOPA protestations into the real world: Boycott SOPA, an Android app that scans barcodes and tells you whether an object’s manufacturer/publisher is a supporter of the much maligned Stop Online Piracy Act.

Here's how the user-driven app works:

If you’ve ever scanned a barcode on your Android phone to look up a book or CD on Amazon, Boycott SOPA works in exactly the same way: First you have to install the ZXing Barcode Scanner app, but then you simply go around pointing your phone’s camera at product barcodes. Boycott SOPA gives you a big red cross if the product is distributed by a SOPA supporter, or a green tick if it’s “clean.” Much to my chagrin, Coca-Cola supports SOPA — but Smirnoff, on the other hand, does not. If you ever needed a sign from Above that you ought to drink more, there it is.

Source

Download free app link

ETA: Get your STOP SOPA banner for ATS here

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse


I imagine... releasing your consumer goods on restricted marketplaces, all the while being able to prosecute anyone who doesn't oblige to follow your intended distribution, would be an abuse of power.

Most people don't mind paying for media, they just want fair access to it and fair cost.

The MPAA is nothing but an abuse of power.

Originally posted by boncho
reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse

 

I imagine... releasing your consumer goods on restricted marketplaces, all the while being able to prosecute anyone who doesn't oblige to follow your intended distribution, would be an abuse of power.

Most people don't mind paying for media, they just want fair access to it and fair cost.

The MPAA is nothing but and abuse of power.

RIAA Too!
Like how they sued that woman for 1.9million, a single mother with four kids that can -never ever even THINK of making that much money unless she's well off)

reply to post by AzureSky


The point of that though was to try and scare people into not doing it, hence the silly amount

Raw Story has gone to black and added a "movie" to help get the point across.

Highly recommended...found a piece of it on youtube



Raw Story Homepage

I thought the Gov can already shutdown web sites.

Why new laws ?


Published: November 26, 2010 NYTimes

In what appears to be the latest phase of a far-reaching federal crackdown on online piracy of music and movies, the Web addresses of a number of sites that facilitate illegal file-sharing were seized this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

By Friday morning, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites that either hosted unauthorized copies of films and music or allowed users to search for them elsewhere on the Internet produced a notice that said, in part: “This domain name has been seized by ICE — Homeland Security Investigations, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court.”

U.S. Shuts Down Web Sites in Piracy Crackdown


Whats all this NEW fanfare about?

reply to post by xuenchen


Because under SOPA and PIPA, the video I just posted could get ATS, YouTube, Raw Story and likely Google and others shut down with one complaint from anyone.

They want to control user-generated sites, for one. They don't like not controlling the economy on the net with their old-school strategies.

Originally posted by DancedWithWolves
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Because under SOPA and PIPA, the video I just posted could get ATS, YouTube, Raw Story and likely Google and others shut down with one complaint from anyone.

They want to control user-generated sites, for one. They don't like not controlling the economy on the net with their old-school strategies.

[color=cyan]*****

Thank You !!

Not all people are understanding THAT !!

We need to keep clarifying as much as possible.

It's nothing short of Internet-Fascism/Commie agendas.

It could be used later for political targeting.

It could be used to quell genuine opinions and stall the 1st Amendment.

They will "work around" the 1st by claiming UCC law.

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse


I disagree they are far removed from reality. We are in the reality the greedy and corrupt have created. It is those of us who think we can actually stop stuff like that who are removed from reality, because we know even if this does get stopped they will pass some other similar act. Nothing short of total revolution can save us now, and that would be world war 3.

all i hear is... 'wahhh wahhh, they are protesting a bill we support... wahh wahh... We want to rack in billions and more a year... wahh wahh'

I dont know why they are crying... the movie industry even with the black market pirating are racking in billions in revenue a year. Its not going to stop pirating... just take a look @ china town. you dont need the internet to get your hands on a hard copy of a pirated movie... just saying.

this bill is about greed and control... nothing more... nothing less.

Making Politics Absolutely Asinine

Personally, I oppose piracy and support efforts to sensibly combat it online, but I also oppose recklessness, abuse and hypocrisy, which is why I strongly oppose the MPAA.

Only in the twisted, pretzel logic of a group like the MPAA could their decades-long campaign against technological progress, exploitation of the legal system with baseless lawsuits and cynical manipulation of the U.S. legislature to stifle competition and terrorize potential customers could they see their abhorrent behavior as appropriate, and the free expression of those who oppose them as an "abuse of power".

If there is any justice, the MPAA will be called to account for their thoughtless, irresponsible and destructive campaign against the people of the world.

The hypocrisy of labeling opposition to their benighted efforts as "hyperbole" while flagrantly indulging in it themselves strips any semblance of credibility from this odious organization.

The only way to shut these parasites down is to make membership in the MPAA unprofitable by boycotting their members, making MPAA membership a liability and cutting off their money supply.

The impetus for doing so only becomes more urgent as time goes by, and I look forward to seeing this despicable group find its rightful place on the ash heap of history.

Pretty bold words for a walking corpse of a corporate giant. Pretty soon, MPAA won't be anything more than a past-tense article on Wikipedia, along with the rest of the copyright mob.

Bye bye, MPAA. We shan't see each other again. A great pleasure for both of us, I'm sure.