We Make Nice Websites

The internet thrives on the free-flow of ideas and the passage of those ideas from place to place. Protect IP seeks to curb that flow, and gives the entertainment industry the power to do it. It would give these private corporations the power to shut down any website that directly or indirectly promotes pirating or copyright infringement. So, that cover video your 9-year-old cousin posted of her favorite Justin Beiber song is a violation, the photo of Seth Rogen you posted on Facebook for doppleganger week crosses the line, and the gif from last week’s Big Bang Theory on your tumblr breaks the law. These websites can be shut down, sued, or have all of their US-based advertisement cancelled. New start-ups as well as old social networking favorites could be seriously crippled by this legislation. 

On top of all that, there is a serious flaw in the execution. This bill will only affect the DNS for each site, still allowing access to anyone who types in the IP address. It won’t stop piracy, but it will harm websites that the government feels are not filtering links to pirated material well enough.

We do think that copyright infringement is wrong, but this level of censorship is not the answer. Protect IP creates more problems than it solves. Please consider signing the official petition against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), sending an e-mail, or making a phone call to your local politicians. These links make it fast and easy to make your voice heard.

The internet is a place to hear and be heard. Don’t let Protect IP take that away.