Proof we do not need SOPA. – Tea Party Nation

Proof we do not need SOPA. – Tea Party Nation.

Posted by Judson Phillips

On Wednesday, many websites were blacked up to show a unified opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the parallel bill in the Senate PROTECT-IP (PIPA). 

Yesterday, something happened that shows just how much we do not need SOPA & PIPA.

 

What happened?

 

Yesterday, the Department of Justice shut down the Mega upload website and indicted a number of the owners and employees of the site.  The site as the name suggested, hosted millions of dollars in pirated media. 

 

Amazingly enough, despite what the proponents of SOPA and PIPA claim, the federal government was able to go out and shut down a site that allegedly violated copyright law, without SOPA or PIPA being the law of the land.

 

If the Department of Justice can do this without SOPA, why do we need SOPA?

 

The answer is, we do not need SOPA.  We have the tools in the law now to do protect intellectual property.  The only question is why aren’t they being used?

 

Copyright infringement is not only a civil law violation, it is often a criminal violation.  If you doubt that, ask Kim Dotcom, the founder and CEO of Mega upload. 

 

One of the claims of those who support SOPA and PIPA is that DOJ cannot reach out and touch sites in foreign countries.  Kim Dotcom is in jail in New Zealand, awaiting extradition to America.   As are other members of the Mega upload conspiracy.

 

In short everything the proponents of SOPA and PIPA say is needed has been handled without SOPA and PIPA. 

 

What those who support SOPA and PIPA really want to do is make it easier for large corporations to intimidate small businesses and companies.  It makes it very easy for large corporations to drive small businesses and potential competitors out of business. 

 

Fortunately, Senators and Congressmen are starting to understand how toxic this is bill is.  Marco Rubio has gone from being a co-sponsor to being opposed to this bill. 

Mitch McConnell has called for Harry Reid to pull PIPA from Senate consideration.   McConnell probably would not be doing this unless he has 41 votes to prevent cloture.   Late last night, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, one of the earliest supporters of SOPA pulled her support of the bill, urging that the bill be scrapped and Congress start over from scratch.

 

We have to keep up the pressure on Congress to make sure neither SOPA nor PIPA ever become law.  Contact your Senators and Congressman and make sure they understand how opposed you are to SOPA and PIPA.

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