SOPA and PIPA may sound like cousins in the British Monarchy, but they are not. In fact THEY WILL RUIN THE INTERNET!

No really they will.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a U.S. Housebill to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.

The PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 or PIPA), also known as Senate Bill 968 or S.968, is a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to “rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods”, especially those registered outside the U.S.

While this all sounds good, and as an artist I want to prevent copyright infringement and piracy, these laws basically remove due process. They would allow companies like Comcast the ability to police the Internet. No Thank You.

One of my favorite websites, “The Oatmeal” Explains it (sorta) like this: The act’s are meant to do “Lion Taming” on piracy. In reality, we are dealing with kittens. This law would be like using a blow torch to tame them. Crispy Kittens! WATCH THIS AMAZING .GIF FROM THE OATMEAL: http://theoatmeal.com/sopa

IF both of these pass, it will change the scope and way we use the Internet. People would be fearful of making a mistakes (as I often do) and being fined and/or thrown in jail. They won’t feel free to share information openly, as we do now. Great conversations, content and discoveries would disappear from the web.

You may have noticed the “blackout” protest on Jan. 18th, and it was wildly effective. According to The Oatmeal “18 senators backed off from the bill, 4.5 million people signed a petition”. Amazing, but THE BILLS ARE NOT DEAD YET! From Wikipedia:

“SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith stated that the House of Representatives will push the bill forward in February. Senate sponsor Patrick Leahy still plans for a PIPA vote on January 24.”

So the work goes on! To act, visit here: HERE WIKIPEDIATASTICNESS To find out what you can do! I currently have my Facebook blocked out, much like Google had blocked their logo in a censored fashion. There are lots of ways to be heard on this issue, least of which, calling or writing to your representatives and letting them know you want a free and open Internet, and these Act’s will hurt the free and open exchange of ideas. There are lots of links and places to sign petitions on the web, and share this information with your less web savvy friends.

So who is addressing these issues? For a start, CREATIVE COMMONS! Often in our work we need to consider how we want others to use it. CC is a guide to help us do so. In turn if we are looking for media to use in our projects, they have a guide for that too! From the website:

Creative Commons helps you share your knowledge and creativity with the world. Creative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation. Looking for music, video, writing, code, or other creative works? Creative Commons has got you covered. 

When you are out there creating, think about using creative commons. The next time you’re in the market for some entertainment, reconsider the bit torrent or pass on that sketchy looking DVD copy of “Titanic 3D” and “Twilight: [Insert Which One Here]” Remember good hard working people made and crafted this media! AND THEY WANT FREE HAPPY INTERNET TOO!

Keep it Tender, Protest SOPA & PIPA.

Here is an awesome video all about it! Enjoy!

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