The bill would thus eviscerate today's predictable legal environment, subjecting innovators to a new era of uncertainty and risk. User-driven sites have flourished under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor, which clearly defines their legal responsibilities and expressly rejects any obligation to actively track and police user behavior. Under SOPA, that legal predictability would be tossed aside, exposing service providers to constant second-guessing by rightsholders.Taking careful aim at online intellectual property infringement is one thing, but upsetting the legal balance that has led to more than 10 years of growth in Internet services is another. The current Congressional proposals threaten extensive and unnecessary collateral damage.
This a big threat to fair use of images and video and innocent derivative works ~ even going as far as using imagery of the President and politicians.
The bill removes satire exceptions and the protections of smaller news and information websites such as conservativesoftheupstate.com.
Call your legislators regularly or e-mail, or fax. But let them know this is wrong!
ReplyDeleteJohnnelle Raines