The 18 Senators Who Approve Breaking The Internet To Protect Hollywood

techdirt.com ^ | 05/26/2011

[JerseyHighlander]

The 18 Senators Who Approve Breaking The Internet To Protect Hollywood

from the not-cool dept

Last fall, we noted that the Senate Judiciary Committee had unanimously voted to approve COICA, a bill for censoring the internet as a favor to the entertainment industry. Thankfully, Senator Ron Wyden stepped up and blocked COICA from progressing. This year, COICA has been replaced by the PROTECT IP Act, which fixes some of the problems of COICA, but introduces significant other problems as well. A wide cross section of people who actually understand technology and innovation have come out against PROTECT IP as written -- including librarians, human rights groups, public interest groups (pdf) and various technology groups (pdf), including CEA, CCIA and NetCoalition. Most significantly, a group of internet/DNS specialists have made a strong case that this would break the internet in significant ways:

Exceprt List follows

This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to move forward with PROTECT IP as is. It seems only fair to once again name the Senators who just voted (with a voice vote) to break the internet. Here's your list of technologically ignorant lawmakers of the day:

• Patrick J. Leahy -- Vermont
• Herb Kohl -- Wisconsin
• Jeff Sessions -- Alabama
• Dianne Feinstein -- California
• Orrin G. Hatch -- Utah
• Richard Blumenthal -- Connecticut
• Chuck Grassley -- Iowa
• Michael Lee -- Utah

• Jon Kyl -- Arizona
• Chuck Schumer -- New York
• Lindsey Graham -- South Carolina
• Dick Durbin -- Illinois
• John Cornyn -- Texas
• Tom Coburn -- Oklahoma
• Sheldon Whitehouse -- Rhode Island
• Amy Klobuchar -- Minnesota
• Al Franken -- Minnesota

• Chris Coons -- Delaware

[JerseyHighlander]

Ron Wyden: Puts Hold On PROTECT IP,

Press Release of Senator Wyden

Wyden Places Hold on Protect IP Act

Overreaching Legislation Still Poses a Significant Threat to Internet Commerce, Innovation and Free Speech

Thursday, May 26, 2011

In case a domain is not registered or controlled by a U.S. company, the authorities can also order search engines to remove the website from its search results, order ISPs to block the website, and order ad-networks and payment processors to stop providing services to the website in question.

The Chinese got nothing on us. It's only a matter of time before you come to FR and see:

[JerseyHighlander]

Let’s try this again.

[YankeeReb]

So let me get this straight, the regime wants to censor the Internet, the DOJ has basically shut down the free peer to peer music sites, BUT they were powerless to stop the Wickileaks guy from stealing military secrets and splashing them all over the world. I get it now!

[La Lydia]

Only if the Robinsons decide to infringe on someone’s copyright or traffic in counterfeit goods. That is the tag they slap on websites selling faux Gucci bags and Rolexes.

[vaudine]

The Repubs on the cmte. should KNOW that it is a rotten bill when Leahy, Shumer, Feinstein, et al think it's a good thing.

vaudine

[Roccus]

The Repubs on the cmte. should KNOW that it is a rotten bill when Leahy, Shumer, Feinstein, et al think it's a good thing.

They are POLITICIANS!!!! Prolly just swapped their votes for one to name a street in DC after W. Think 'bipartisanship'...'compromise'....BS!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks JerseyHighlander.

[newzjunkey]

You're relatively new here. FR has fought many legal battles over copyright issues. It's why some sources are banned, some articles must be excerpted or others must be linked only.

Everything has copyright attached whether a registered or not, whether it has a copyright statement attached or not.

These entities want to destroy "fair use," kill "public domain" and have dictatorial control over content. They absolutely will use the force of government to see it happen.

[pnh102]

Why any Republican would support any bill that protects the Hollywood left is beyond me. The GOP should be embracing policies that do not strengthen intellectual property laws because the primary beneficiaries of those laws show no favor to conservative causes.

But in a broader sense, why is it the government's job to police and enforce privately owned copyrights? A copyright owner can seek plenty of relief on his own via the court system for any infringement. They should not get the benefit of a publicly-funded copyright police.

[scooby321]

The New Hollywood Lobbysit is no other than the biggest crook himself, Mr. Chris Dodd.

[La Lydia]

I have been a member since 2000. I am aware of the legal battles that the Robinsons have been forced to fight. However, that particular notice posting is from CBP, and has nothing to do with copyrighted published or broadcast materials. That is the one applied when they seize domains that are being used for commercial purposes to sell knockoffs, replicas, counterfeit goods without the permission of the trademark/copyright holder.

I have no doubt that legislation would be a disaster. My only quibble is with the notice of seizure posting. I never ceased to be amazed at the many ways people find to be condescending.

[JerseyHighlander]

You are 100% incorrect in your understanding of how the DHS is abusing domain name confiscation.

THey are also confiscating domains to websites that simply link to other websites that host pirated copyrighted material, and executing confiscations across international boundaries without authorization of the jurisdictional foreign courts.

freedominion.com.pa links to a website hosting a live tv stream of a US political event, and the claimed copyright owner can then have the USA DHS confiscate freedominion.com.pa domain name in Panama, without going through Panamanian legal system and without recourse for the freedominion.com.pa domain registrants.

This has already happened to a website in Spain that linked to other websites that hosted p2p streams of US live sports telecasts.

It’s a small jump from live sports events to news/political/financial news media when the copyright owners in the sports media case are the same corporations as the major news content providers in the USA.

The case in Spain is in direct violation of the laws of Spain and ICANN rulings.

It will be as simple as registering a thousand troll accounts on any website targeted by political operatives, posting several copyrighted pieces of media, or even external links to pirated copyrighted material, while having the coconspirators at the copyright owners’ request provide screen captures and call up the Federales,... within days FreeRepublic.com or DailyKos.com will disappear forever.

[La Lydia]

Please read what I posted. I DIDN’T SAY THEY AREN’T DOING THIS. I said the GRAPHIC YOU POSTED is not the one they’re using for the intellectual property copyright material seizures. THAT GRAPHIC will not show up on Free Republic, as you stated it would, unless FR starts selling counterfeit athletic shoes and faux designer hand bags. Is that so hard to understand? Of course they are doing this. Government will push against our freedoms as far as it can, until we push back. They want to control what we know, in order to control what we think. Please read for content and meaning before telling me I am “incorrect in my understanding.” Accuracy, accuracy.

[Luke21]

That graphic is already appearing on the former sporting events sites DHS has shut down.

[Thunder90]

Righthaven is pushing this. It would extend to posting ANY news story, including excerpts. It would also apply to videos depicting copyrighted items, trademarks and logos, and patents.

[DBrow]

“Why any Republican would support any bill that protects the Hollywood left is beyond me.”

A free internet is threatening to all politicians. This is not about Hollywood, it’s about people like us, the DUmmies, the HuffPo folks, and hundreds of other online communities being able to share information and to be able to get information that is not packaged and delivered as The Official Reality.

It’s about government being able to dictate content, to keep government safe. Hollywood benefits from this, yes, and the payback is Hollywood content that supports the government.

[Thunder90]

It also means that the Federal Government could copyright and trademark its own work to prevent its dissemination.

[AAABEST]

You're incorrect, the other poster is not.

The graphic he posted has already been used on sites that allowed downloading of "intellectual property copyright material." Not only that, it also was used on sites that simply linked to 3rd party sites that allowed downloading of "intellectual property copyright material."

[JerseyHighlander]

You are again incorrect in your posting. That graphic is being used on DNS takedowns of purely digital media linking websites. Rojadirecta and ATDHE to be specific.

They are using only two graphics, each with the same text. FreeRepublic and DailyKos and any other discussion site of the nature that uses the FreeRepublic “fair use” court ruling would be taken down at the DNS level and that graphic would be posted.

Read up
http://torrentfreak.com/us-resume-file-sharing-domain-seizures-110201/

[I cannot think of a name]

WTF is with Orrin G. Hatch — Utah?

Once upon a time I used to like this guy. He has been on the WRONG side of this issue since forever. I'm beginning to see him as little more than a water-boy for the entertainment industry.

What a sad ending for a guy who back in the 80’s did fight some good fights (Clarence Thomas for one).