SOPA and PIPA: To Protest, or to Protect?

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Recommended: Digital age and copyright laws

In today’s society, internet plays a pivotal role, influencing individuals in all classes, of all ages, and in various financial backgrounds. Because the Net dominates a large portion of the population’s time, many people have become accustomed to its current policies and ease of access to different types of media. So when consumers were threatened with the possibility of change, an enthusiastic reaction occurred worldwide. Internet users today are acclimated to downloading or torrenting music, games, and movies that would normally have a fee, for free, infringing the media’s copyrights in the process. Due to the rapid growth in this illicit activity, legislations such as SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA have been proposed; however they have been met with public cries of vexation and have been halted for the time being, but attempts are still being made to pass them. If these regulations are passed, it will result in the loss of revenue from foreign website providers, discontent sweeping worldwide, and the stifling of creativity and expression.

Legislation such as PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), and ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) have been proposed to counteract online piracy or the infringement of copyrighted material. Currently there are already laws protecting copyrighted material, which includes the Digital Millennium Copyright Act or DMCA, which focuses on removing specific, unauthorized content from the internet (Condon). However, the music industry and film industry want to tighten copyright protection.

The new proposed regulations would target the platform hosting the content, rather than the content itself. SOPA would bestow the federal government with the power to shut down enti...

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.../8301-503544_162-57360665-503544/sopa-pipa-what-you-need-to-know/>.

Cienski, Jan., Stanley. "Activists look to have derailed latest pact on internet piracy." Financial Times; London. 10 Feb. 2012: 5. eLibrary. Web. 19 Mar. 2012

Journal, Sun., Bern, New., N.C.. "EDITORIAL: Congress reboots internet oversight." McClatchy - Tribune

Business News. 17 Feb. 2012 eLibrary. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

Hruska, Joel.. "FCC fires FUD at the idea of a UN-controlled internet." ExtremeTech.com. 23 Feb. 2012 eLibrary. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

MAGDER, JASON., Gazette, The.. "Twitter under fire for storing contacts of iPhone users." Montreal

Gazette. 16 Feb. 2012: B1. eLibrary. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

Wales, Jimmy., Walsh, Kat.. "Who 'owns' the Web?." Washington Post. 10 Feb. 2012: A19. eLibrary. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

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