I do not understand how anybody could have balls this big... The MPAA and RIAA wrote SOPA and PIPA and now have the nerve to accuse wikipedia and others?
The text as taken from the link above:
WASHINGTON — The following is a statement by Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) on the so-called “Blackout Day” protesting anti-piracy legislation:* Like suing thousands of people, some of whom are not guilty of any crime, while every single one of those people were potential customers because you can't wrap your head around a business model that would cut 'distribution costs' to NIL and give people the instant gratification of not having to leave their house to buy a CD? Sounds like a 'stunt that punishes the users in a pawn game rather than finding solutions' to me...
“Only days after the White House and chief sponsors of the legislation responded to the major concern expressed by opponents and then called for all parties to work cooperatively together, some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions* to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging.
It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.
A so-called “blackout” is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this “blackout” to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.”
One might even say: "It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests"... Except that the MPAA/RIAA's actions have actually "incited their users" to steal more in most cases, whereas the 'blackout' is intended to raise awareness of an issue that many fail to understand including those charged with passing these laws, and those who wrote them in the first place.
I would assume the fact that the Chairman of the RIAA is also a Senator affords him plenty of influence (and conflict of interest therein) where the RIAA doesn't need to pay a fortune to hire lobbyists like all the companies that he is accusing. Not that I think the lobbying system is a good model to begin with, but you Mr. Dodd have not even so much as an umbrella corporation with which to mask the two masters you serve.
Do you serve the interests of the people when you propose such a poorly written bill that could be misrepresented to shut down a majority of the internet, or at least make it so cost limiting as nobody would afford to hire the number of people needed to review every comment posted on a forum, or every blog posting on wordpress, blogger, or better still, Facebook?
Much of the internet is driven by the interactions of EVERYBODY ON THE PLANET (or at least, anybody who has found a particular forum of interest). Facebook is a wonderful example of something that would not exist without user driven content and how many users are on that? More than a few dozen the last time I checked...
So you, Mr. Dodd, who have your own pulpit from which to preach to those who pass the laws directly, have no place accusing anybody who has chosen to preach from the only platform they have available to them, even if you feel their message is too widely broadcast. Your message is almost broadcast in secret without the understanding of your constituents who, I assume, actually voted you into your seat of power.
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