quote:Mozilla, Word Press and TwitPic have joined a growing list of websites that plan to go dark Wednesday to protest the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act,
The article lists other sites that plan to join the blackout.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Iffy idea...it says to your consumer that you're so important that they can't do without you...and you might find they can do without you. (There are lots of companies and unions who fell into this trap.) Also, if you take ads and deliberately withhold content, you might be in violation of contract and risk loss of revenue.
Wouldn't it be better to just traditionally lobby and counter those for the acts? Or argue it it court afterwards?
Posted by redux (Member # 9277) on :
I think the idea behind it is to create awareness. Most end-users probably don't know about SOPA and PIPA and how it may affect them so these sites are participating in theatrics to get their stance known.
At least that's how I interpret it.
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
Could be a bit of both. If around three fourths of the internet is down it could show people what could happen with those laws the way they are worded. And it creates awareness.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Belatedly the phrase "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face" occurs to me.
Posted by Brendan (Member # 6044) on :
So what is the issue?
Posted by redux (Member # 9277) on :
On a note involving "traditional lobbying"...it's been reported in the media that the big Internet moneybags threatened to withhold their donations if it went through, while the Hollywood faction threatened to withhold their donations if it didn't go through...meaning it's likely that nothing will be done about SOPA and PIPA, and, so, probably, the matter is deader-than-dead till the next administration at a minimum, if even then. Not that it's over over, but it's in abeyance. (This is one of those cases where an interest in politics tells you what's actually going on.)