4 ms·

> legislation that protects consumers, businesses and jobs from foreign thieves who steal America's intellectual property What is SOPA going to do to stop fore

> legislation that protects consumers, businesses and jobs from foreign thieves who steal America's intellectual property What is SOPA going to do to stop foreign thieves? I thought it was limited to American ISPs? Unless they mean domestic thieves who use foreign sites...

sp332 15y ago
It refers to foreign-hosted sites that sell to US-based customers, or who use US-based advertising agencies, or US banks. The idea is that the largest audience for US-made IP is in America, so blocking US users would cripple foreign pirates who traffic in US IP.
- corin_ 15y ago
  I think crippling foreign pirates isn't even the biggest goal, the biggest goal is that US customers can't benefit from foreign pirates. They'll care much less about that Russian/wherever site hosting their content if everyone in America has already paid for it.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- nextparadigms 15y ago
  First step: create "online borders" around US (they tried to do this in Europe) to "protect our jobs" and all that. Second step: filter the information you get in US. Make the Internet more like TV. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns)
corin_ 15y ago
Unlike traditional, physical, theft, the damage of IP theft comes not when the file is put online illegally, but when it is downloaded/viewed illegally. Essentially their aim is to stop foreign theves from having any domestic (US) customers/downloaders/viewers.
- comicjk 15y ago
  The "damage" is even more removed than you give it credit for. Assuming the goal of the IP owner is to sell the content, the "damage" occurs when the subset of downloaders who would have bought, don't buy. Clearly not all downloaders are in the category, and some both download illegally and buy legally. There's also a counteracting benefit to the IP owner, if illegal downloads serve to advertise his IP and induce more people to buy. Overall the connection to "traditional, physical theft" is weak.
Vivtek 15y ago
You can't get traction in the US fighting Americans. If you present something as fighting foreign evildoers, though, you basically get carte blanche.
- derefr 15y ago
  They already have the power to fight domestic IP "abuse", though—that's what the DMCA does. These acts are basically just to try to fill in the cracks the DMCA can't touch (foreign companies which allow domestic consumers breach IP law.)
Jach 15y ago
Want to buy your medicine from an evil Canadian e-commerce site for much cheaper? Only if you know how to get to their site without a domain name or using a non-US DNS server, bwahaha.
TomOfTTB 15y ago
I think you're missing the strategic issues here. SOPA is really about the 2012 election. On the content providers' side they see a close election for both the Presidency and the Senate (the House is likely to stay GOP no matter what). This means two very important things... 1. Control of the entire federal government is up for grabs 2. All Senate races will be under the microscope. Even those that don't usually get attention. Meaning Senators who aren't used to raising large sums of money are going to need large sums of money. Both these factors mean the content providers' money is worth even more and they know it. So now is the time to push. But the politician's are scared by protests. A close election means even a (relatively) small group of Internet activists could turn it. That makes politicians scared of laws that get people riled up. So the content providers need to both pay off policitians AND find a strategy that gives them political cover. The best way to do that in a bad economy is to frame it as a "jobs bill". Especially since it's the exact strategy that worked in Spain just a few months ago. That's why you're hearing about jobs and foreign thieves.

sp332 15y ago

It refers to foreign-hosted sites that sell to US-based customers, or who use US-based advertising agencies, or US banks. The idea is that the largest audience for US-made IP is in America, so blocking US users would cripple foreign pirates who traffic in US IP.

corin_ 15y ago
I think crippling foreign pirates isn't even the biggest goal, the biggest goal is that US customers can't benefit from foreign pirates. They'll care much less about that Russian/wherever site hosting their content if everyone in America has already paid for it.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
nextparadigms 15y ago
First step: create "online borders" around US (they tried to do this in Europe) to "protect our jobs" and all that. Second step: filter the information you get in US. Make the Internet more like TV. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns)

corin_ 15y ago

Unlike traditional, physical, theft, the damage of IP theft comes not when the file is put online illegally, but when it is downloaded/viewed illegally. Essentially their aim is to stop foreign theves from having any domestic (US) customers/downloaders/viewers.

comicjk 15y ago
The "damage" is even more removed than you give it credit for. Assuming the goal of the IP owner is to sell the content, the "damage" occurs when the subset of downloaders who would have bought, don't buy. Clearly not all downloaders are in the category, and some both download illegally and buy legally. There's also a counteracting benefit to the IP owner, if illegal downloads serve to advertise his IP and induce more people to buy. Overall the connection to "traditional, physical theft" is weak.

Vivtek 15y ago

You can't get traction in the US fighting Americans. If you present something as fighting foreign evildoers, though, you basically get carte blanche.

derefr 15y ago
They already have the power to fight domestic IP "abuse", though—that's what the DMCA does. These acts are basically just to try to fill in the cracks the DMCA can't touch (foreign companies which allow domestic consumers breach IP law.)

Jach 15y ago

Want to buy your medicine from an evil Canadian e-commerce site for much cheaper? Only if you know how to get to their site without a domain name or using a non-US DNS server, bwahaha.

TomOfTTB 15y ago

I think you're missing the strategic issues here. SOPA is really about the 2012 election. On the content providers' side they see a close election for both the Presidency and the Senate (the House is likely to stay GOP no matter what). This means two very important things... 1. Control of the entire federal government is up for grabs 2. All Senate races will be under the microscope. Even those that don't usually get attention. Meaning Senators who aren't used to raising large sums of money are going to need large sums of money. Both these factors mean the content providers' money is worth even more and they know it. So now is the time to push. But the politician's are scared by protests. A close election means even a (relatively) small group of Internet activists could turn it. That makes politicians scared of laws that get people riled up. So the content providers need to both pay off policitians AND find a strategy that gives them political cover. The best way to do that in a bad economy is to frame it as a "jobs bill". Especially since it's the exact strategy that worked in Spain just a few months ago. That's why you're hearing about jobs and foreign thieves.