Consequences: additional stimulus for the creation of alternate roots, seeking national TLDs instead of US-controlled gTLDs, running away from US-based datacenters, and, for the countries which can, diversion of traffic which currently transits through the USA. IMHO --c.a. On 11/17/2011 11:57 AM, DeeDee Halleck wrote: > > SOPA, controversial online piracy bill, gains support as lobbying > intensifies > > > (TRUTH LEEM/REUTERS) - Google, Facebook, Yahoo and other Web giants > launched a media blitz on Wednesday with full-page newspaper ads urging > lawmakers to vote against the proposal. > > > By Cecilia Kang > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/cecilia-kang/2011/02/28/ABFs9eL_page.html>, Wednesday, > November 16, 7:38 PM > > Several lawmakers expressed support Wednesday for a controversial bill > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/house-introduces-internet-piracy-bill/2011/10/26/gIQA0f5xJM_blog.html>aimed > at curbing online piracy as lobbying > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/web-giants-at-odds-with-chamber-of-commerce-over-piracy-bill/2011/11/15/gIQAkY5hPN_story.html>over > the issue reached a fever pitch. > > In a House Judiciary Committee hearing on a bill proposed by committee > Chairman Lamar Smith > <http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Lamar_Smith> (R-Tex.), a bipartisan > group of lawmakers said new laws are needed to help media outlets, > software makers and retailers fight the illegal distribution of movies, > songs and software. > > > > Smith’s Stop Online Piracy Act is aimed at foreign sites dedicated to > pirated material, but Web giants such as Google and Facebook and > telecommunications firms say his proposal goes too far, making them > responsible for shutting down bad actors. > > “The problem of rogue Web sites is real, immediate and widespread. It > harms all sectors of the economy,” Smith said during the hearing. > > Several lawmakers expressed concern that the illegal exchange of > copyrighted movies, software and music is draining U.S. media companies > and that current laws don’t give law enforcement enough power to stop > bad actors. > > And some questioned the motives of Web giants fighting the legislation. > > Opposition is “really about the bottom line,” said Rep. Mel Watt > <http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Mel_Watt> (D-N.C.). “Sites that > specialize in stolen goods attract lots of users and lots of ads.” > > Supporters and critics > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/facebook-google-join-to-fight-internet-privacy-legislation/2011/11/15/gIQAELOlON_blog.html> of > the measure ramped up their lobbying efforts ahead of the hearing. > > Google, Facebook, Yahoo and other Web giants launched a media blitz on > Wednesday with full-page newspaper ads urging lawmakers to vote against > the proposal. Vague language in the bill would force them to shut down > the domain names of infringing sites and would lead to lawsuits, they > said. Telecommunications firms, including Verizon Communications, > complained that the bill would force them to stop Internet traffic that > contained illegal content. > > Supporters of the legislation, ranging from Hollywood studios to > pharmaceutical companies, argued during the hearing that they are losing > an estimated $135 billion a year in pirated material. > > “Fundamentally, this is about jobs,” said Michael O’Leary, who > represented the Motion Picture Association of America at the hearing. He > argued that not just actors and directors are affected; piracy also has > a ripple effect on thousands of businesses that are associated with the > movie business. > > Smith has said he hopes to move his legislation to markup before the end > of the year. A similar Senate bill passed the Judiciary Committee in > September. > > The House proposal came about suddenly, critics say, and without > consultation from high-tech and telecommunications firms. > > “Inexplicably, and almost overnight, SOPA has morphed into a full-on > assault against lawful U.S. Internet companies,” said Markham C. > Erickson, executive director of NetCoalition, a group representing Web > firms and public interest groups opposed to the law. “This makes no > sense to us, nor will it to the millions of Internet users who depend on > it for communications, commerce and democracy.” > > A Verizon executive said in an interview Wednesday that the legislation > puts too much of the burden on Internet service providers to create new > technologies to monitor and stop illegal consumer use of Web content. > > “We have a number of concerns with the bill,” said the executive, who > spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of > the legislative push. “And we have been shut out of the process in > writing this, even though it is very technical and requires us to use a > range of technically difficult things to enforce this legislation.” > > -- > http://www.deepdishwavesofchange.org > >