SOPA not dead yet!

So if you've been on the internet over the last few months there is a chance you've heard something about SOPA. SOPA and PIPA are two bills that have been under consideration by the U.S. House and Senate over the last few months.  The bills are put forth by the content industries ostensibly to provide them with new powers to fight piracy and protect intellectual property which, if you're inclined to believe them, will destroy them any day now. 

Funny I thought we had this argument already back during the whole MP3 thing? It never ceases to amaze me how we have to essentially fight this battle over and over again for each different medium, movies, books, TV, etc. They just can't seem to learn the lessons that the Music industry did a few years back and is now reaping the financial rewards of as a result.  

I like listening to music, watching movies, TV, etc.  I believe in the right of the creators of quality content to be compensated for their efforts in creating it. However I do NOT believe that playing fast and loose with core infrastructure of the internet and arguably the first amendment as was proposed by the now, seemingly dead, DNS blocking provisions that were in SOPA and PIPA. Content and content creators absolutely need to be protected but messing with the foundations of the internet and giving unprecedented powers to the courts and content industry groups, is not the way to do it. 

SOPA seems to have been left starved of air given developments over the last few days but this will not be the last we hear about this type of legislation.  The industry lobbying groups have already declared this is not a fight they intend to give up.  They will hang on to their old business models which tend to benefit them first and consumers second until the last possible moment. It will only end when consumers demand new models by speaking with their wallets.

This battle isn't over and my concern is that now that DNS has been stripped from SOPA and PIPA and the congressional floor managers have tabled these bills that the issue will fade from the collective consciousness and who knows what provisions will make it into the next bill while everyone's attention has been diverted elsewhere. Which is why I support the various blackouts that Wikipedia and other sites will be conducting tomorrow. 

UPDATE: Ars Technica has the MPAA quoted as saying with regards to the blackouts and protests:

 "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."

Wait WHAT!?! Do they think we live in a police state? Last time I checked the right to peaceful protest was actually an expressly guaranteed power of the people. If there's an clearer evidence for why this fight goes on I can't think of it.

Read up on the SOPA issue:

• "End Piracy, Not Liberty." Here is Google's take on the matter and I applaud them for blacking out their Banner!  - To me that really cuts to the heart of it iTunes and other online Music services have shown that if you give consumers fairly priced easy to use and understand alternatives to piracy they will respect them and your business. That is how you fight piracy not by breaking the internet and usurping the rights of Americans. Again I ask why we have to keep learning/teaching the content industies this lesson?

• The EFF is the go to source for issues like this here is their "Action Alert": EFF Action Alert on SOPA
  
  
• The Verge has been doing a lot of great tech reporting lately and here is their landing page for SOPA stories. 

• Wikipedia's post on their Blackout.
  
  
• The Whitehouse has also come out in opposition of SOPA as well Verge's coverage of that development.