New Anti-Piracy Bill: the OPEN Act

Just caught wind of this and I don't believe it's been posted yet. With SOPA & PIPA on stall, the new piece of legislation aims to stunt foreign piracy incentives by cutting off digital payments via Visa/Paypal etc. To be honest it appears a lot milder than the former anti-piracy atrocities.

SOPA, PIPA Stalled: Meet the OPEN Act

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) introduced H.R. 3782, the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, the same day as an Internet protest when a number of high-profile websites such as Wikipedia went dark. Issa says the new bill delivers stronger intellectual property rights for American artists and innovators while protecting the openness of the Internet. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has introduced the OPEN Act in the U.S. Senate.

OPEN has received support from technology giants such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others, but the Motion Picture Association of America complains in a statement (PDF) that the bill goes easy on Internet piracy.

Hollywood’s staunch and powerful support of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) in the House, and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) in the Senate is much maligned. In fact, one influential Silicon Valley investment firm says Hollywood is dying and it plans to help kill it by funding startups that will compete with movies and TV.

reply to post by Raelsatu

I have a simple question. (Don't mean it directed at you, OP, but since you started this thread, I'll ask)

Don't we already have laws in place to punish people who steal or infringe on copywrites?

Why do we need yet ANOTHER law?

Seriously, this is like wasting time talking about a new law to punish theft.

I just don't get it.

This sounds reasonable. Its targetting the big guys, meanwhile not seemingly infringing on the greater net. Won't solve piracy, but will potentially take out the offshore giants incentive to push.

But thats at first glance...surprising there wasn't a cut fund law already in effect though

reply to post by beezzer


Very true but; with this bill it's about giving foreign sites less of a financial incentive. If they cut off the ability of US internet users to send funds via Paypal & Visa, they're hoping it will put a dent in the activity of these sites.

Also, I think it might be a way of appeasing the rabid Washington & Hollywood folk; although Hollywood has made it clear they don't think this is cracking down on piracy enough, if at all. Which is a good thing... of course we'll have to examine it more delicately to make sure there's no fine print for destroying internet openness. =]

reply to post by Raelsatu

To be honest it appears a lot milder than the former anti-piracy atrocities.

Milder maybe. Harmless?

It's always the same. If they can't pass the Hitleresque laws, start with the Mini-Hitleresque ideas.

Makes it easier to sneak up on us doesn't it?

Small movements....towards the final solution. Just a matter of time and patience because they will get what they want this week or next year.

the reason why they must make new laws is to stay employed. They are "law makers" after all and if no new laws were needed...then they would be out of the job

reply to post by jude11


True, but I don't think the internet can be snuck up on so easily. Thanks to the information sharing nature of the web, not much goes unseen; and especially when it comes to regulating the internet. This bill as far as I can tell doesn't impede on the openness of the internet, rather decreases the incentive for pirates to share on a mass scale. & It probably won't even do that.

The NDAA provision passing without any objection is disturbing, considering it's as Hitleresque as it gets.

Here's another source reporting on it.

www.infowars.com...