Law

A Few SOPA Updates

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It looks like things will NOT resume on the 21st.  My guess is that Lamar and company have seen the writing on the wall and it's not pretty – but I suspect this'll be back.

At the bottom of this article, you'll see a research paper promoted by the MPAA notes "success" in high-censorship countries, and the irony that many anti-censorship tools . . . are promoted by the US.

– Steven Savage

Universal Music Group, Youtube, and More

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Let's try and work this out here.

First, Universal Music Group filed takedown notices over a video promoting Megaupload.  This video included several music stars in it, and was basically about, well, how good Megaupload was.  This would seem to be abuse of the DMCA, but . . .

So apparently Universal Music Group had the video pulled because they claim they have an agreement with YouTube.

So by now what looks to be one thing may be another, Universal is claiming a secret agreement with Google, and a judge probably really wants some tylenol.

You want to follow this story because it deals with, well, a ton of stuff:

  • Is there an agreement with YouTube?  If there is this could get very ugly for YouTube and Google.
  • If Universal is B.S.ing and dragging YouTube into it, there's going to be more love lost between the Google Empire and big media – if there's any left.
  • This may indicate a method of fighting intruisive claims – because MegaUpload is milking the publicity for this.
  • We might be entering a new phase of copyright/takedown battles with this, SOPA/PIPA, and more.  Having recalled the days when Metallica decided to annoy everyone and the entire download/copying wars flared up the first time, it feels similar to me.
  • This means potential economic shifts and business changes.  If you don't think fallout from this will affect your job, you're quite incorrect.

– Steven Savage

SOPA Delayed

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Looks like SOPA is not going to the House, hearings to resume later.  Techeme, as usual, has a roundup, the latest being here.

This is good news as far as I'm concerned – SOPA/PIPA are hideous, and the longer debate goes on, the more chance to rally against them.  It gives time for the truth to come out – and for folks like us to raise hell about it.

A few takeaways:

  • Lamar Smith either doesn't get what he's doing or doesn't care (my guess, both).  He actually didn't feel it was necessary to discuss the security issues of altering the internet.  Attempts to modify that part actually failed.  I'd keep an eye on whatever he does in the future if you work in tech or media, because he's clearly happy sponsoring hideous life-and-job-destroying legislation.
  • There are massive security concerns as well as legal concerns – more intense than I expected when I first encountered SOPA (I focused mostly on the legal).  If you work in tech, I'd do a deeper examination of this – it will help you lend your voice and also help you understand how the internet works and how people can still mess it up.
  • This delay is good for everyone since it's a chance to bring down SOPA and PIPA, it's tweedledum.  Stay on top of this issue.
  • This is bad enough that I think it shows certain big media companies are very desperate.  If they loose this (and I think they will between time, a presidential veto, and potential legal challenges), they will resort to something else.  Hopefully some companies will get a clue and try different methods of income, distribution, etc. – which could mean opportunities for people.
  • This fight also let us know who to trust to go with an open internet versus a hideous legislation.  You may want to decide your career options based on what you learned here.

– Steven Savage