SOPA: Your Opinion?

[East]

The nightclubs I worked in had to pay BMI and ASCAP yearly for permission to play their songs. The songs added LOTS of $$$$ value to the business. Most every song is either registered through BMI or ASCAP which own the rights to the songs.

I dislike the SOPA proposal and I realize the consequences but may I ask why it is OK for someone to ignore copyright laws and use other people's work for profit while paying them nothing? If you are going to protest the proposal why not address the reason the proposal existed in the first place?

Is there something similar to ASCAP/BMI for movies? I don't know. If there isn't...there should be.

The night they passed the Patriot Act here in the US they also promised alot of things and they have already abused it. The day after they passed this we had Janet Jackson's nipples as the top news story that week...at least this story is prominent as it should be.

[Inchante]

The nightclubs I worked in had to pay BMI and ASCAP yearly for permission to play their songs. The songs added LOTS of $$$$ value to the business. Most every song is either registered through BMI or ASCAP which own the rights to the songs.

I dislike the SOPA proposal and I realize the consequences but may I ask why it is OK for someone to ignore copyright laws and use other people's work for profit while paying them nothing? If you are going to protest the proposal why not address the reason the proposal existed in the first place?

Is there something similar to ASCAP/BMI for movies? I don't know. If there isn't...there should be.

The night they passed the Patriot Act here in the US they also promised alot of things and they have already abused it. The day after they passed this we had Janet Jackson's nipples as the top news story that week...at least this story is prominent as it should be.

The legislation needs to be smarter. Really, that is the problem with it. Though some people simply are going to have a fit if you try and stop them from pirating: "Because it is my freedom of expression to download what ever song or movie I want. When you make it illegal and punish people for it, it is a violation of my right to have what I want for free."

Speaking of which. My freedom of expression is currently being violated because no one has given me a Mercedes Benz or Opals, no one has stocked my cellar with Bordeaux, Chablis, Savignion Blanc, and Moët & Chandon, and where the hell is my free Wedgewood? Hmm? I am going to start an internet attack on each of these companies because they make too much money and they are limiting my freedom of expression by not giving me their products for free.

[blokeinsussex]

http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_free..._idea.html

Good video there which lays out the counter argument quite well.

PIPA and SOPA have now both been pulled, it'll be interesting to see what, if anything, rises out of their ashes and whether or not it's another piece of sledgehammer legislation.

Megaupload is proof that they don't need this legislation to take out copywrite infringment. To my mind the media industry simply needs to evolve to serve the digital age, not try and shape the market by using blunt ill thought out laws.

[pellaz]

The legislation needs to be smarter. Really, that is the problem with it.

[72jay]

I'm completely against SOPA and glad to hear it wasn't passed

As for Megaupload being shut down...too bad ... but I think we all knew that would happen eventually

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I personally will never pay for downloading mp3's/etc. If I want an album I'll go buy the CD at the local used-CD store...or even better wait till it shows up at a thrift store or garage sale
Big reasons being:
* A mp3 is "nothing" as in not a physical item like a CD
* Audio quality of a CD is better

[TimmyThink]

I'm completely against SOPA and glad to hear it wasn't passed

As for Megaupload being shut down...too bad ... but I think we all knew that would happen eventually

Yeah eventually they're all going down, all the torrent sites, all the free streaming sites. It's like fighting a hydra though cut one down 2 more take its place.

[princealbertofb]

I'm completely against SOPA and glad to hear it wasn't passed

As for Megaupload being shut down...too bad ... but I think we all knew that would happen eventually

--------------
I personally will never pay for downloading mp3's/etc. If I want an album I'll go buy the CD at the local used-CD store...or even better wait till it shows up at a thrift store or garage sale
Big reasons being:
* A mp3 is "nothing" as in not a physical item like a CD
* Audio quality of a CD is better

Some sites now offer CD quality digital files of music and recordings... But I like your idea of waiting for it to be available in a second hand store... Recycling's a good idea.

[princealbertofb]

Not necessarily... I think of hometaping as "saving" music... It saves it for you to enjoy at a later date... and also helps you save your own music. What's more, if you've bought the music legally, you should be able to store it in any way that is convenient to your enjoyment of it. I belong to a site from which you can download (and pay for) music that lets you download it in a variety of formats, and this as long as you like... once you've paid for it. I think that's the way to go.

[72jay]

Some sites now offer CD quality digital files of music and recordings... But I like your idea of waiting for it to be available in a second hand store... Recycling's a good idea.

I'm glad to hear that some places are now doing CD quality!

[Person66]

Ferris is so right, this is censorship, plain and simple. I signed petitions against it. And as a regular voter, I contacted my Senators and Representative and told them they'll lose my vote if they vote for it. Apparently in this country people have the right to protest at funerals of dead gay soldiers, telling their families that they deserved it but the Internet needs to be curtailed? That's bull****!