OREGON PING!
If you aren't on this ping list and are interested
in articles about Oregon, please FReepmail me.
Posted on 11/21/2010 5:15:07 PM PST by NoLibZone
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act passed unanimously through the Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday, but fortunately didn’t get much further. Oregonian Senator Ron Wyden exercised his power to place a hold on pending legislation to stop the bill from traveling to the senate floor, saying that
Deploying this statute to combat online copyright infringement seems almost like using a bunker-busting cluster bomb, when what you need is a precision-guided missile.
His hold will prevent the bill passing out of committee this year; proponents of the bill will have to wait until the next time Congress convenes, and then try to reintroduce the measure.
If passed, the bill would allow the US Attorney General to seek judicial permission to order the shut down of any infringing domain name, where “infringing” means allowing access to anything that they don’t have the rights to. But wait, it gets better! If the site is not located in the US, it would also allow the USAG to get permission to tell ISPs, financial service providers, and advertisers to stop providing service to that domain. And, it would create two lists: one of sites that the AG has ordered taken down, which ISPs, financial services, and advertisers would be required to boycott; and one of sites that the AG has alleged are infringing, the boycotting of which would earn ISPs, financial services, and advertisers immunity from prosecution under the bill.
Regardless of your personal stance on files sharing, if you are a user of the internet, you should be able to see that this bill set an alarming precedent for the way our government responds to civil disputes in the online realm. It also makes no effort to allow otherwise infringing sites to distribute data that does not infringe. Could the bill, for example, allow the AG to shut down YouTube because users upload copyrighted content? Not to mention the potential use of the AG’s new powers for political reasons.
I hope the new House will treat this issue seriously and correctly, and the fight the Senate.
More important issue is “Net Neutrality”, which is about giving Liberal (communist proxies) like Google more power.
I hope Congress de-funds FCC if they actually go through with their proposal next month.
I could not agree more.
We shall see.
For the Oregon ping list...
and Coburn?!
Frigging Lady Lindsey Grahamensty has been threatening for years to shut down my 56K dialup line. Looks like he’s finally trying to make good on his threat.
Ron Wyden, THANK YOU!
Thank you Mr. Wyden!
This just shows you that guys like Coburn and Inhofe, who are usually pretty solid when it comes to objectionable legislation, let their guard down once in a while. I’m sure this was presented as being fairly innocuous legislation, and they probably didn’t bother thinking about the consequences of it. It’s a strande day when Wyden is the one that puts the brakes on it, but he has been on the right side of a couple of issues that have surprised me.
_________________________________
Coburn and Inhofe are USUALLY on the right (or is that “Right”?) side of issues — but they are STILL operating under the old Washington, DC “business as usual” mentality. To them, it’s as if things are exactly the same as before Barack Obama was elected, as before the Tea Parties arose, before “We The People” woke up and said “ENOUGH! Back to the Constitution! We want our Republic back!”
Coburn, Inhofe, and many others among Republicans — even “Conservatives,” STILL don’t quite GET the NEW PARADIGM. It’s NOT like it WAS before guys and gals. NO MORE DEALS. NO MORE DEBTS. No more making it up as you go along. Restore the Republic. Follow the Constitution. Don’t presume on US — you are OUR employees. Got it?!
Oh — the internet? OURS. NOT YOURS. NO TAXES. NO MORE REGULATIONS. HANDS OFF.
I really doubt that Wyden should get the credit for this.
Remember these names...esp the ones with a “R” beside them.
O.O
Who is that and what did they do with Ron Wyden??
Every once in a while that guy really does surprise me. Not often, but it does happen...
DUKE NUKEM!!
*sigh*
BOTH “our” senators from NY.
Couldn’t see that one coming.......
Yes, he is. He also tried to defend earmarks.
Some are no doubt voting for this so someone will do them a favor.
NAUSEATING.
It’s the “DC way”.
I’m not throwing Coburn under the bus until I know more.
Let me know if you find out anything. This bill sounds purely horrible. Can’t imagine why he’d be for it.
:O( though he was one of the good guys....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.