[aklug] Re: Fwd: Responding to your message (SOPA Bill)

What is interesting to me is the fact that there is no reference to =20
the possibility of addressing the copyright laws directly.

There is no silver bullet in all of this, but our copyright laws were =20
created well before the Internet.

It seems possible to me that revising these could reduce the =20
occurrence of said piracy.

Mike B.

Quoting Christopher Howard <christopher.howard@frigidcode.com>:

> I finally received a response back from Don Young about the SOPA Bill.
> You can read it and interpret it for yourself, but my summary is: "I
> agree fundamentally with the bill and everything it is trying to
> accomplish, but there are so many people who hate the bill that it
> should probably be tweaked in a few places to address their concerns."
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Responding to your message
> Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2011 17:50:21 -0500
> From: Congressman Don Young <ak00iqima@mail.house.gov>
> To: <christopher.howard@frigidcode.com>
>
>
>
> Dear Mr. Howard,
>
>
>
> Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy
> Act. I appreciate having the benefit of your thoughts.
>
>
>
> On October 26, 2011, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced H.R.
> 3261 to ensure that owners of copyrighted content and the Department of
> Justice (DOJ) have the ability to take action against "rogue" websites
> in other countries that allow the unauthorized distribution of
> intellectual property, especially movies and music, produced in the
> United States. Specifically, this bill would enable owners of
> copyrighted material and the DOJ to pressure "intermediaries" in this
> country - Internet service providers, search engines, advertising
> providers and payment services - that do business with them.
>
>
>
> As introduced, the language of H.R. 3261 entitles the DOJ to seek court
> orders to require advertising services, search engines, Internet service
> providers, and payment services - such as Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal -
> to stop doing business with foreign sites seen as "infringing" on
> copyrights. The DOJ could also require Internet service providers to
> block access to sites seen as abetting copyright infringement, creating
> a Web blacklist. Additionally, H.R. 3261 seeks to protect manufacturers
> of pharmaceuticals and other goods and services who see knockoff
> versions of their products advertised on such sites.
>
>
>
> Thus far, H.R, 3261 has been extremely controversial and has generated
> alarm on both sides of the political spectrum. Opponents of this bill
> believe that it is so loosely worded it could threaten many U.S.
> websites, especially social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. To
> stay in business, opponents contend that such sites would have to more
> closely police content posted by millions of users every day.
> Moreover, they point out that H.R. 3261 gives the government overly
> broad power to punish Web-related companies and could potentially chill
> innovation among Internet-related start-ups. One large issue with H.R.
> 3261 is that the owners of the copyrighted material would not have to go
> to court first in order to shut down or block a "rogue" website.
> Rather, they could simply allege to payment and ad services that certain
> sites are "dedicated to theft of U.S. property," and the payment and ad
> services would have five days to cut off service to them.
>
>
>
> However, proponents of H.R. 3261 say the bill is badly needed to address
> rampant copyright infringements, which are estimated to play a role in
> 25 percent of Internet traffic. In fact, according to the U.S. Chamber
> of Commerce, copyright infringement costs the U.S. economy at least $135
> billion a year. This loss has significantly hurt an already unstable
> and underperforming job market in the U.S. Overall, advocates contend
> that H.R. 3261 is simply intended to deal with potential copyright
> thieves on a case-by-case basis.
>
>
>
> While I agree with the overarching goal of H.R. 3261, namely to stop
> online piracy, and believe that it is well-intentioned, I do acknowledge
> that it has some flaws. However, the legislative process, in both the
> House and Senate, allows for amendments to help correct and mitigate
> some of these flaws. Currently, H.R. 3261 has been referred to the
> House Committee on the Judiciary and preliminary hearings have been
> held. While I am not a member of this committee, please know that I
> will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind should this legislation
> reach the House floor for a vote.
>
>
>
> Once again, thank you for expressing your views on this issue. If you
> haven't already, I would encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at
> http://donyoung.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm
> <http://donyoung.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm> and my YouTube
> channel at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=3DRepDonYoung
> <http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=3DRepDonYoung> . Doing so will
> allow me to provide you with updates on this and other important issues.
> If I can be of any assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to
> contact me.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> DON YOUNG
>
> Congressman for All Alaska
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Sun Dec 11 11:52:34 2011