(1) This kind of "bat signal" is how a small group of dedicated people organize a large group of less dedicated people to press for or against legislation. It's

(1) This kind of "bat signal" is how a small group of dedicated people organize a large group of less dedicated people to press for or against legislation. It's a clever way to create a cheap, effective organization to do what you're proposing. It's not an either/or, it's step one. (2) Cheap doesn't mean free, which is why we're in a pretty reactive mode. Check out this chart of lobbying money spent by the entertainment industry vs. the tech industry:* http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68448_Page4.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68448_Page4.html Getting a bill passed on the national level means having someone with access to 500-odd legislators meet and explain it to them, plus explaining convincingly why it won't seriously hurt them in the next election, which in turn means having a convincing case on the campaign contributions vs. public support equation. All of that translates to money (although the larger and more sophisticated your organization, the less money you need. See step one.) * Of course "entertainment industry" vs. "tech industry" is a little weird, since tech is a tool often used for transmitting entertainment. Sony or Apple or Amazon probably pick one side of the line or the other as much as a matter of temperament as a matter of business.