SOPA - dates, when will it be voted through?

[F.G.]

so, i didn't see any recent threads about this, so i thought i'd make a new one.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201...l-2012.shtml?r

For those with an active interest in intellectual property laws, freedom of speech on the internet and all that. i'm sure your all aware of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), well it was due yesterday, postponed till after new year (so i can relax, right?), now has rather suddenly been brought forward to this wednesday. So, anyone counting down the days until this form of communication can legally be censored by the US, and people within the US can get done for just referencing sites with illegal content, now you know.

i anticipate a dystopic world where nerdy kids have to hang out in the badlands of the darknet, changing their ip addresses, using Tor and macchanger, hacking into local wep/wpa protected wifi networks just to research a chemistry project (because that kind of info could be used by terrorists).

I know that is not the point of SOPA, but still, i wonder...

edit -> i thought i'd add this post:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...ress?fullpage=

rather annoyingly if Anonymous do this kind of thing (quite apart from not being proper, legitimate approach to the issue) i think it's only going to fuel the desire not to submit to them, and therefore to pass the bill. it'll also heighten the technology fear that some (and by no means all) of the less tech-savvy types have (particularly those who also feel the need to control what other people think).

[LowSky]

I saw that it was only postponed until December 21 for another "secret" meeting. Nice to see that Congress will not take a vacation for something no normal citizen wants. But a working fiscal budget, forget that! Sorry I'm ranting. Back on topic.

I worry for any website. From what I read/pieced together, just hosting a link to unwarranted data could lead to a site being taken down.

I know politics is something that is banned on this site, but this American Bill could mean amass exodus of American websites to other countries and Americans being blocked access to them. Much like online gambling is today.

Just imagine what could happen if a search engine isn't allowed to show results. On poor link to a site could mean the death of Google, Bing, Yahoo and the like, and I don't think people outside the US know the ramifications this bill can have on their needs too.

right now America's elected politicians are creating laws that more than likely will not be enforced by the judiciary branch of government. But the problem is it will cost someone millions to get it there.

I know these forums don't like talking politics but this is a very important matter, and it effects the world. If your not an American you should still bring this to your countries headship so they too can voice concern of America's legislation. We are a world community here and this should matter to us all.

[haqking]

i anticipate a dystopic world where nerdy kids have to hang out in the badlands of the darknet, changing their ip addresses, using Tor and macchanger, hacking into local wep/wpa protected wifi networks just to research a chemistry project (because that kind of info could be used by terrorists).

anticipate ? its been this way for years

[oldos2er]

Closed for review.

Edit: Tentative re-open. Please keep the discussion related to FOSS.

[2lid8xh2o8]

Does anyone have thoguhts on this bill being pushed through congress? SOPA could make the internet really suck. Most people I know aren't so technically savvy like most of us here on Ubuntu forums. I believe we're a class of people who has the know how and resources to do something creative in the face of this.

Here are some links to SOPA and related sites. Please have a look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhwuX...ature=youtu.be

http://act.boldprogressives.org/surv...y_sopa_reddit/

[CharlesA]

Threads merged.

[F.G.]

what really concerns me is not so much me being able to access what should be freely available information (i'm prepared), but all the other people who may very well be punished for trivial links and basically just passing on what in any other context would be legitimate information. also the typical slowdown that is usually associated with restricting communication and information, a good example would be the leibniz newton thing and how britain was set back about fifty years by not using the European standards. here's a related article about secrecy vs openness:

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...pK43sOEmK1B9FQ

edit-> it links to a pdf by the way.

[del_diablo]

As far as I understand, the difference between this and the DMCA per date is that with SOPA it ends with "Server being wiped, or datacenters acess to the world is axed, or total DNS block on .net and .com", and with DMCA it was: "You must take down the content, and if you don't do, we will take this to court.

DMCA would have been harmless if lawyers did not think that going to court is something that means year long court battles and the issue of countersuits.
And since most DMCA claims are just randomly generated, ignoring them lead to nothing because the company in question did not want to pay their lawyiers in the first place.
With SOPA? SOPA will end with anybody with a brean attempting to flee USA. Among the list of persons and organisations would likely be 4chan and moot, and other sane people. The fact that SOPA starts with a indirect or direct takedown, a lawyer paywall to get back to court, and somehow have the money to keep your corp on running for about half a year, is sure a bit of mess. The worst part is that this will show even more of the court problems with infinite amounts of appeals, and big lawyers dragging the cases out for too long.
Even worse is that there is no demand for the takedown to actually be valid, and there is no side effects laid down in the law beyond the fact that you could take it to court and win.

The "problem" is that SOPA is breaking the human rights charter, its that simple. Its likely also breaking most of the US laws and the constituion too.

[sunfromhere]

Its likely also breaking most of the US laws and the constituion too.

Can a law be sent to Supreme Court or whichever is the top court in the USA? Are there any legal means to fight the law once it has been voted?

Here where I live, we had numerous laws (that were voted and passed in the Parliament) taken to Constitutional Court because they were thought to be breaking the Constitution.

[LowSky]

Can a law be sent to Supreme Court or whichever is the top court in the USA? Are there any legal means to fight the law once it has been voted?

Here where I live, we had numerous laws (that were voted and passed in the Parliament) taken to Constitutional Court because they were thought to be breaking the Constitution.

Yes we have many laws that have faced Supreme Court scrutiny. The problem is it takes years to go from law to judicial review. Its better it never becomes a law. The best example is Roe vs. Wade. A ruling that is challenged to this day. No law is better than overturned laws.