SaveOurInternet.org is currently trying to raise awareness on SOPA-Ireland as decision day draws near. Please see below for more, and please help out (see below for more on helping). If everyone does their little bit it will be defeated!
Please sign the petition at StopSopaIreland.com and post it on your facebook.
What is SOPA-Ireland?
SOPA-Ireland is Internet regulating legislation proposed by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Sean Sherlock with the official purpose of tackling on-line piracy. It is being pushed undemocratically through the back-door even though it effects us all. SOPA-Ireland is a serious threat to Irish innovation, our freedom of speech and our right to privacy.
It is very likely that the majority of websites used by you and people you know are websites which allow users to share information, e.g. facebook, twitter, youtube, flickr and Wikipedia. These are the websites that could be, and probably will be, blocked from the Irish audience under SOPA-Ireland.
Whether you condone or condemn piracy is irrelevant. We cannot compromise the peoples freedom of speech and right to privacy for the sake of an industry.
How does it work?
SOPA-Ireland grants Irish courts the power to shut-down websites whose users have been found infringing on copyrights. The courts will be put under pressure by offended copyright corporations to exercise this power.
The block-out would not be instantaneous, it would be gradual over a few years.
SOPA-Ireland will not effectively fight piracy due to technical work-arounds.
How can I help?
The first thing to do is let your friends and family know that SOPA-Ireland exists, what it does and how you can fight it. Linking to this page through facebook, twitter etcetera is a good start!
Next sign the petition found at StopSopaIreland.com and let everyone know they can do the same.
Lastly, but most importantly, contact your local TDs and let them know that SOPA-Ireland is a serious threat to your freedom of speech and needs to be stopped. You can find your local TD’s contact details on the Oireachtas website.
Here are the main points to include in your letter;
- SOPA-Ireland threatens to block all community based websites from Irish citizen’s; websites you use to socialise organise and educate yourself nearly everyday.
- Most experts of the digital legal field agree.
- Irish citizen’s are already facing challenging times, it would be shameful if this law where to take away our greatest opportunity to succeed.
- You are not condoning piracy by protesting this bill, but you cannot compromise your freedom of speech for the sake of a commercial industry.
How will it effect me?
It is very likely that the majority of websites used by you and people you know are websites which allow users to share information, e.g. facebook, twitter, youtube, flickr and Wikipedia.
It is impossible for these websites to make sure all content hosted on-line is not infringing on copyright. For this reason most of these websites could eventually be blocked from all Irish users, including you.
Ultimately Ireland could find itself in an information dark age.
How will it effect Education?
Consider the number of times you used the Internet to learn about something or as a reference. Most websites who provide such information are community websites of one form or another, or have used community websites to gather info.
To keep themselves active in the Irish on-line community, these websites would have to pay unrealistic monitoring and/or legal costs – which they probably wont.
How will it effect the Irish economy?
With tens of thousands of Irish jobs coming from the IT sector and Ireland wishing to become a leader in this area, Ireland needs to protect the Internet while still protecting intellectual property. This legislation is not the answer – it cannot even effectively stop pirating due to technological work-arounds.
This legislation will make it incredibly difficult for Irish on-line businesses to start-up as providing on-line services would require massive investment to fight potential legal battles. In a society facing a crippling recession, is this a step forward?
How will it effect the Irish entertainment industry?
First of all, this will only make piracy slightly more inconvenient than before but certainly possible. At the same time, websites used to market these products could be blocked. Will the big acts really be protecting themselves?
What about the little guy working his way up independently and honestly? The Internet gives these artists the necessary independence; a platform where they can host their work, market their work and find contacts. If the websites allowing them to share their work are blocked, will our entertainment industry and culture really benefit?
You keep saying ‘could’, why the uncertainty?
It is the ambiguity of this legislation that allows for an abuse of our courts by copyright holders to unreasonably block these websites, yet it is this same ambiguity which makes it uncertain whether any of the above will actually occur. But if the copyright holders come to influence the courts, and they are very good at influencing, you can expect them to push it to the extreme.
In fact, the EU are to vote on legislation named ACTA which will require governments to encourage the establishment and maintenance of organisation representing copyright holders to give their opinion to the courts. A vested interest group directly influencing the courts, the same courts who have the power to block websites the copyright holders don’t like… Smells fishy…
But doesn’t Minister Sherlock know what he’s talking about?
Good question, the answer is no. See here for a quick analysis of his arguments.
