US Senate tries to take us back to the Dark Ages

[ancient kayaker]

Wikipedia has shut down its english language site temporarily (I hope) as a protest to SOPA and PIPA. These are the Stop Onl ine Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act currently being considered by the US Senate.

The senate proposes to give itself - or some arbitrarily apponted body, it's difficult to extract the details - the power to shut down any internet site that publishes copyrighted information without permission.

Who's next? How can any public information service - including the Boat design Forum - possible exclude every hint of IP violation in a free-to-everyone environment? I'm all for protecting Intellectual Property but this isn't the way to do it and it's not going to work. Protecting Intellectual Property is like protecting any other kind of property; just lock it up and don't leave it out on the street. Intellectual Property should be protected at source; it hasn't got any harder to do, just needs the same care with digital records as as required with the paper variety.

That means no either no internet connections on the same computers as your IP or other sensitive information or a heavy-duty firewall with serious password protection with attempted intrusion detection and automatic lockout, and constantly monitoring your competition in the same business. It's not cheap nor is it easy, neither is protecting your home against burglars; there's an investment in time and material required, which increases according to the value of the property being protected. That's life. The nice part is, you don't need it unless you are rich . . .

This reminds me of a curfew - you can't go out on the streets at night so rich folks don't have to worry so much crooks, but it still lets us go at during working hours so we can work for them.

Does the US Senate truly believe they can wind back the entire World a couple of decades? All that will happen is the big internet companies will simply go offshore where they are not subject to US law and the internet will have to be split into halves, the USA and the rest of the World.

Good news is, the sponsors are abandoning ship in droves, but if this is an example of how out-of-touch the USA's leaders are, it bodes ill for the future ,at least until these clowns force the US into 3rd World obscurity . . .

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

Wikipedia has shut down its english language site temporarily (I hope) as a protest to SOPA and PIPA. These are the Stop Onl ine Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act currently being considered by the US Senate.

The senate proposes to give itself - or some arbitrarily apponted body, it's difficult to extract the details - the power to shut down any internet site that publishes copyrighted information without permission.

Who's next? How can any public information service - including the Boat design Forum - possible exclude any hint of IP violation in a free-to-everyone environment?

Does the US Senate truly believe they can wind back the entire World a couple of decades? All that will happen is the big internet companies will simply go offshore where they are not subject to US law and the internet will have to be split into halves, the USA and the rest of the World.

Good news is, the sponsors are abandoning ship in droves, but if this is an example of how out-of-touch the USA's leaders are, it bodes ill for the future ,at least until the US achieves 3rd World obscurity . . .

Obama has stated that if the measure ever reaches his desk (which is doubtful), he'll veto it. Good for him.

SOPA was pushed heavily by the recording industry -- which always seems to favor heavy-handed, repressive, impractical legal action to carry us back to the past, over embracing technology and using it to their own benefit.

They're being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century anyway. They're fighting every inch of the way, but I have no doubt they'll survive and adapt in spite of themselves.

[gonzo]

Wikipedia shutting down is a good thing. I hope they keep it up.

[Leo Lazauskas]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

Protecting Intellectual Property is like protecting any other kind of property; just lock it up and don't leave it out on the street. Intellectual Property should be protected at source; it hasn't got any harder to do, just needs the same care with digital records as as required with the paper variety.

I disagree that it is like other property, and that digital records are as easy as paper to secure.

In any case, IP is only a comparatively recent human innovation. Maybe it's on
the wane and will disappear or evolve into something new.

[Boston]

I know Jeffs sure asked me to keep my quotes short and sweet so he's not in violation of someone elses C. But this whole thing might just mean no quotes at all, hows that going to fly when we are trying to cite work that backs up our positions on whatever. Or even linking to something. Seems to me that putting the Jennie back into the bottle at this point is just not going to work.

My two cents
and I'm copyrighting it

[powerabout]

we should ask Uncle Rupert, ( fox) he always knows whats around the corner

[michael pierzga]

Yah, I agree with Troy...its special interest legislation. The recording industry.

What is Boatdesign net policy ? Liability. When a link is posted to gain access to intellectual property ?

[powerabout]

the moderator will kill the link if they find it
seen it with books and a pdf on the web somewhere
saying that I just posted both but the pdf belongs to the writers web site.

[Boat Design Net Moderator]

I do worry about SOPA/PIPA. As I understand it the purpose is to provide very fast recourse and recourse for things hosted offshore where laws aren't enforced when for example a pre-release movie is pirated and illegally distributed.

I suspect however that the real "bad guys" will be so agile that they will get around the blocking with distributed or other means of illegal distribution.

And my worry is that honest communities, like this one for example, communities with a large number of honest people who take part to help others, could be impacted over much more minor issues which are already covered by existing laws.

If it's obvious that someone is intentionally infringing on copyright and breaking the law, for example posting links to pirated software, they are banned and the post is removed. But to scan or source verify every single post, reference, link, linked site, etc. would be impossible. For unintentional infractions, for example if someone posts a chart or study sketch to explain their post that they believe is acceptable fair use that later someone objects to, I fear the "quickness" and "global block" by SOPA/PIPA, instead of removing/blocking only the actual infringed content, could enormously impact an honest site and all of its honest users which I believe is not intended by the "spirit" of these new laws.

[Yobarnacle]

I agree with Troy and others. It's special interest. Backed by government nefarious interest. US federal government has wanted to control the internet from practically day one. They probe here and there trying to wedge a foot in the door.
They have "plausible" deniability.
Like the republicans giving Obama unilateral authority to increase debt, so they can vote unpassable censor/halt bills. Everbody looks like he's serving his constituency. And the debt grows. Govt doesn't want to stop govt spending!

[ancient kayaker]

Let's be clear about one thing. There's nothing special about Intellectual Property compared with other types of property. It's not IP that's the problem.

The problem arises when IP is stored in digital form, which can be copied easily and quickly and distributed virtually without cost or delay. However, it's still safe if its physical location is protected and it can't be accessed through the net.

Keeping IP on a computer that is connected to the net creates a security problem. If you don't have to do it then don't; most people don't need to. The ones who do can take other measures, but nothing protects your information once it finds its way onto a wireless system that is not secured.

Times have changed, any industry that sells data of value in a medium that can be copied is doomed unless the value of the data is short-lived. This spells death for the audio and video recording industries, and there's not a lot they can do about it. Legislation cannot guarantee your job or their special interests and it can't substitute for common sense. I am sure these acts sounded like good law to the folks who created them, but then, so did Prohibition.

[hoytedow]

We should vote against the incumbent Senators from our local districts and send a message.

[gonzo]

Boston: works cited laws are really clear. Read any college writing manual and they are all explained.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

Let's be clear about one thing. There's nothing special about Intellectual Property compared with other types of property. It's not IP that's the problem.

The problem arises when IP is stored in digital form, which can be copied easily and quickly and distributed virtually without cost or delay. However, it's still safe if its physical location is protected and it can't be accessed through the net.

Keeping IP on a computer that is connected to the net creates a security problem. If you don't have to do it then don't; most people don't need to. The ones who do can take other measures, but nothing protects your information once it finds its way onto a wireless system that is not secured.

Times have changed, any industry that sells data of value in a medium that can be copied is doomed unless the value of the data is short-lived. This spells death for the audio and video recording industries, and there's not a lot they can do about it. Legislation cannot guarantee your job or their special interests and it can't substitute for common sense. I am sure these acts sounded like good law to the folks who created them, but then, so did Prohibition.

I don't see 'death' ahead for the audio and video recording industries. As I said, they'll adapt -- if they have to.

The movie industry did everything it could to outlaw VCR's, hysterically claiming that allowing such recording technology into people's homes would be the death of theaters, movie studios and television producers. Instead, the sale of movies on tape (and now on DVD's) has become an important source of revenue.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by hoytedow

We should vote against the incumbent Senators from our local districts and send a message.

The 'district' for your Senators would be the state you live in... and I doubt replacing them wholesale with a bunch of amateurs would be any improvement. Like any other job, being an effective Senator or Representative has a learning curve; it takes a while to become useful.

Instead, we should concentrate on weeding out the worst ones, and keeping the ones who show promise -- thereby improving the overall quality of the bunch. Like culling a herd.....