November 27th, 2011 by 
Lincoln Baxter III 
When my family comes together for special occasions, it is official tradition to begin, fill, and end any given evening with a debate on social justice, politics, science, religion, or a combination of the above. This year was no different, with our post-feast discussion ranging from human rights to geological timelines of carbon fuel consumption rates. The topic that interested me the most, however, was HR 3261 – new “Anti-piracy” legislation from the MPAA and RIAA, currently making its rounds through congress.
The MPAA and RIAA are trying blacklist websites, block IP addresses, and change fundamental assumptions about the market we operate in – all under a new law that will tie the hands of the internet…
For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is a bill, quote, “To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes,” perhaps better known by its short name, the ” Stop Online Piracy Act.” It is an interesting piece of potential law, and in brief summary, increases the responsibility of internet companies to prevent copyright theft on their domains. It also stands to reason that because this bill was sponsored by representatives working with the MPAA and RIAA, that’s who’s going to use it, though I’m sure new powers and interested parties will line up to take advantage of the bill as soon as they find out how. But I’ve got news for you: Intellectual property is dying, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
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