4 ms·

I was extremely alarmed to see our firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, on that list and immediately emailed my attorney (a partner) about it. Turns out two of the

by dpe82 15y ago

I was extremely alarmed to see our firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, on that list and immediately emailed my attorney (a partner) about it. Turns out two of their attorneys agreed to lend their names AS PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS and made it clear their support was in no way representative of the views of the firm. Despite that, DWT got added to the list. Incredibly dirty move on the part of Rep. Smith. DWT has tweeted about it (http://twitter.com/#!/DWTLaw/status/150019649130606592 http://twitter.com/#!/DWTLaw/status/150019649130606592) and tell me they are working to get their name removed from the list. Edit: fix link

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
gcb 15y ago
When law firms have trouble, the common man can expect Kafka experience Imagine your company name appears there days before some meeting with pg
- rmc 15y ago
  It would be brilliant. It would mean if you were a tech company or involved with tech, that you would steer the hell clear of any offical/unoffical/private/corporate endorsment of any crazy laws. If some legislator asks for your "private personal support" for some crazy anti-internet law, you might remember this and not tell them anything, for fear that they'll list your company.
marshray 15y ago
Turns out two of their attorneys agreed to lend their names AS PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS and made it clear their support was in no way representative of the views of the firm. Despite that, DWT got added to the list. Riiiight.
- dpe82 15y ago
  I believe them. Once upon a time I worked as a legislative aid in the WI State Senate. I saw this type of thing happen a few times where some overzealous lobbyist or staffer fudged the list of supporters for some controversial legislation. Predictably it always resulted in a gigantic shitstorm. Beats me why they try to get away with it in the first place.
  - cdr 15y ago
    If the legislation doesn't pass a certain threshold of controversy, they probably get away with it.
  - marshray 15y ago
    Count the number of law firms' names on the list here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/76341338/SOPA-Supporters http://www.scribd.com/doc/76341338/SOPA-Supporters Now count the number of private individuals listed. I think lawyers are supposed to know the difference between personally supporting something and a company taking a position. Somebody here is l-y-i-n-g and, sure, maybe it's not the law firm. But the system as a whole doesn't get to just pass it off on the tired old "overzealous junior staffer" routine this time.
    - dpe82 15y ago
      And now count the number of firms: http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of%20SOPA%20Supporters.pdf http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of... Zero.
      - marshray 15y ago
        Well done! I bow to you sir.
      - chernevik 15y ago
        Que bueno. Might be worthwhile for someone to send out a press release with a before / after strikeout showing the shrinkage. Makes people ask what else have the SOPA folks exaggerated.
dpe82 15y ago
Update: ALL the law firms have been removed from the list. http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of%20SOPA%20Supporters.pdf http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of...
- redthrowaway 15y ago
  Excellent. That's a few down. I think the next one to focus on should be the Entertainment Software Association. It strikes me that, like the BSA, many of these companies would only have agreed to support some broad, generic, fight against piracy and not SOPA in particular. Let's put the pressure on them to withdraw their support. Also, the UFC might be a good target. I know Joe Rogan has spoken out against SOPA, so he might be a good place to start.
  - chernevik 15y ago
    I have to wonder about the various state and local organizations on the list. Do mayors and state chief information officers really have a position on SOPA? Maybe the SOPA opposition lobbyists can reach out to these organizations and find the details of their "support", and whom these groups really represent. Then maybe tech industry types can reach into whatever state and local connections they have to have conversations with the state / local officer represented here. If those supports are soft, and a couple of folks call from the field to ask what's going on, they too may melt off the list. EDITED TO ADD: Don't know the industry, but entities with showbiz relations may be feeling pressure from the studios to be supportive. They need licensing deals with the studios, no? Pressuring them to choose sides might not be productive -- might be enough to urge them to offer nothing but transparently pro-forma support.
    - cdcarter 15y ago
      Your best bet would probably be to get the unions to pull back support. But doing that will be hard.
      - chernevik 15y ago
yuhong 15y ago
More info: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111223/09051617180/law-firms-removing-their-name-sopa-supporters-list-sopa-support-crumbling.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111223/09051617180/law-fi...

by dpe82 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

gcb 15y ago

When law firms have trouble, the common man can expect Kafka experience Imagine your company name appears there days before some meeting with pg

rmc 15y ago
It would be brilliant. It would mean if you were a tech company or involved with tech, that you would steer the hell clear of any offical/unoffical/private/corporate endorsment of any crazy laws. If some legislator asks for your "private personal support" for some crazy anti-internet law, you might remember this and not tell them anything, for fear that they'll list your company.

marshray 15y ago

Turns out two of their attorneys agreed to lend their names AS PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS and made it clear their support was in no way representative of the views of the firm. Despite that, DWT got added to the list. Riiiight.

dpe82 15y ago
I believe them. Once upon a time I worked as a legislative aid in the WI State Senate. I saw this type of thing happen a few times where some overzealous lobbyist or staffer fudged the list of supporters for some controversial legislation. Predictably it always resulted in a gigantic shitstorm. Beats me why they try to get away with it in the first place.
- cdr 15y ago
  If the legislation doesn't pass a certain threshold of controversy, they probably get away with it.
- marshray 15y ago
  Count the number of law firms' names on the list here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/76341338/SOPA-Supporters http://www.scribd.com/doc/76341338/SOPA-Supporters Now count the number of private individuals listed. I think lawyers are supposed to know the difference between personally supporting something and a company taking a position. Somebody here is l-y-i-n-g and, sure, maybe it's not the law firm. But the system as a whole doesn't get to just pass it off on the tired old "overzealous junior staffer" routine this time.
  - dpe82 15y ago
    And now count the number of firms: http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of%20SOPA%20Supporters.pdf http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of... Zero.
    - marshray 15y ago
      Well done! I bow to you sir.
    - chernevik 15y ago
      Que bueno. Might be worthwhile for someone to send out a press release with a before / after strikeout showing the shrinkage. Makes people ask what else have the SOPA folks exaggerated.

dpe82 15y ago

Update: ALL the law firms have been removed from the list. http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of%20SOPA%20Supporters.pdf http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of...

redthrowaway 15y ago
Excellent. That's a few down. I think the next one to focus on should be the Entertainment Software Association. It strikes me that, like the BSA, many of these companies would only have agreed to support some broad, generic, fight against piracy and not SOPA in particular. Let's put the pressure on them to withdraw their support. Also, the UFC might be a good target. I know Joe Rogan has spoken out against SOPA, so he might be a good place to start.
- chernevik 15y ago
  I have to wonder about the various state and local organizations on the list. Do mayors and state chief information officers really have a position on SOPA? Maybe the SOPA opposition lobbyists can reach out to these organizations and find the details of their "support", and whom these groups really represent. Then maybe tech industry types can reach into whatever state and local connections they have to have conversations with the state / local officer represented here. If those supports are soft, and a couple of folks call from the field to ask what's going on, they too may melt off the list. EDITED TO ADD: Don't know the industry, but entities with showbiz relations may be feeling pressure from the studios to be supportive. They need licensing deals with the studios, no? Pressuring them to choose sides might not be productive -- might be enough to urge them to offer nothing but transparently pro-forma support.
  - cdcarter 15y ago
    Your best bet would probably be to get the unions to pull back support. But doing that will be hard.
    - chernevik 15y ago

yuhong 15y ago

More info: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111223/09051617180/law-firms-removing-their-name-sopa-supporters-list-sopa-support-crumbling.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111223/09051617180/law-fi...