Anti-SOPA Blackout Today

Its gonna be a quiet day online today as companies join hands and turn off their websites in an anti-SOPA protest move that is designed to show surfers just how harmful the American proposed actions will be on the internet.

Visiting Wikipedia gets you this message:

Quote:

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Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.

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Other high profile sites like WordPress, Mozilla, Tucows and Flickr have similar blackout messages on their sites. Even Google has added a simple yet effective one liner on their search page saying "Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web!"

Hopefully all this action will get people involved and will stop SOPA before internet censorship becomes a reality. I encourage you to visit a few of these sites and take actions like call Congress, tweet like crazy (#SOPASTRIKE), and help the strike appear everywhere!

Was seeing a lot of sites with protest signs at their front door today.

Just saw this over on Xbiz:

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and two dozen co-sponsors introduced the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act Wednesday evening to the House of Representatives as an alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act.

The OPEN Act would allow copyright holders to file claims of infringement against foreign websites with the U.S. International Trade Commission and appears to be a compromise to SOPA, which would allow the U.S. government and copyright holders to "filter the Internet

The International Trade Commission would investigate complaints and decide whether U.S. payment processors and online advertising networks should be required to close off funds.

"OPEN is a targeted, effective solution to the problem of foreign, rogue websites stealing from American artists and innovators," Issa said in a statement. "Today's Internet blackout has underscored the flawed approach taken by SOPA and PIPA to the real problem of intellectual property infringement."

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oreg., introduced a Senate version of the OPEN Act in December.

SOPA and PIPA opponents claim the antipiracy bills don't give owners of foreign websites enough due process and could curb free speech on sites that have a mix of content.

With SOPA, the Justice Department and copyright holders to seek court orders requiring payment processors and ad networks to stop doing business with foreign websites accused by the plaintiffs of copyright infringement.

SOPA also would allow court orders requiring search engines and sites defined as ISPs to stop linking to sites it accuses of infringing copyright. But SOPA also would give registrars and ISPs immunity from lawsuits if they cut off service to accused infringing websites.

I celebrated SOPA day by successfully petitioning EBAY to remove 3 auction listings of unauthorized copies of my DVD Intellectual Property.

EBAY is a snake pit of piracy on the Internet. Where is government intervention and regulation, on behalf of us content producers??

I got my DVDs removed. I also notified VistaVideo, Randy Blue, Titan, Raging Stallion, (through Porn Guardian), that the same Seller is listing their DVDs in his store - as DVDs in Sleeve, no boxes!!!! Pirate!!

All studios must check EBAY for Pirates selling DVD in Sleeve copies of their IP.