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How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

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Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#71

Post by earl »

josephcooney wrote: post #69
bad_user wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Politicians will always do whatever is in the interests of the people or companies giving them votes or donations, so unfortunately without voting for the enemy of your enemy (and maybe convincing others to do so), you don't have any other tool to punish these politicians. And they need to be punished, just like a good spanking at the right time does wonders for spoiled brats.

"unfortunately without voting for the enemy of your enemy (and maybe convincing others to do so), you don't have any other tool to punish these politicians." This sounds awfully like "I Voted for Kodos".

From experience (see the NRA in particular), a largish single issue voting block that is willing to support either party can be enormously effective at advancing their issue.

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#72

Post by devicenull »

16s wrote: post #57

I was once the registered DMCA agent for a large organization. All of the registered agents are listed on the US Copyright's Office website so that rights holders can look-up the names and addresses to send notices when an IP address within that organization is found to have content that is thought to be infringing (P2P, music, movies, etc). Fewer than 1 in 10 came to me (the person registered to receive the notices)…

Most of them are bots, and I doubt your note in ARIN was even being read. They seem to love to look up the abuse contact for an email address, and send their notices there. A large number of them make no attempt to find the registered agent. Sadly, this works for them, since I would imagine most ISP's just forward on the notice to the registered contact.

I wonder what would happen if you ignored a DMCA notice sent to the wrong contact. Would it be invalid?

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#73

Post by 16s »

devicenull wrote: post #72
16s wrote: post #57

I was once the registered DMCA agent for a large organization. All of the registered agents are listed on the US Copyright's Office website so that rights holders can look-up the names and addresses to send notices when an IP address within that organization is found to have content that is thought to be infringing (P2P, music, movies, etc). Fewer than 1 in 10 came to me (the person registered to receive the notices)…

Most of them are bots, and I doubt your note in ARIN was even being read. They seem to love to look up the abuse contact for an email address, and send their notices there. A large number of them make no attempt to find the registered agent. Sadly, this works for them, since I would imagine most ISP's just forward on the notice to the registered contact. I wonder what would happen if you ignored a DMCA notice sent to…

The entire purpose of the portion of the law (DMCA) requiring valid notices be sent to registered agents is so that notice is given to the correct person at the organization so that swift action may be taken to investigate and potentially remedy the alleged copyright violation. How else do you think the organization would know to respond?

Rights holders and their subcontractors can't just email anyone in your domain (the janitor's office) and expect action to be taken. The law (DMCA) is very explicit about this. Notice must be given to the registered agent (PERIOD). However, you should ask your legal counsel what they which to do with invalid notices. Some will want the organization to respond anyway, others won't. It depends on whether or not they wish to waste money spending time following-up on invalid notices. I can tell you this though, a notice sent to janitor@domain.com is not going to stand up in court unless janitor@domain.com is indeed the registered agent.

The point is that if they can't be bothered to obey the DMCA and take the time to look-up the proper published registered agent, why should new laws be considered that let them get away with even worse laziness and accusations?

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#74

Post by jerf »

freehunter wrote: post #26
redthrowaway wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Lost my vote forever" is, I'm sure, the kind of meaningless spiel they hear everyday. It would likely have the same effect on a congressman that saying "meat is murder" has on me - instant tune-out. A response informing the congressman of why he's wrong, citing loss of jobs and liberty while threatening innovation, all in the name of an ever-growing government keen to erode our rights in the service of special inter…

That's assuming that this comgressman believes his talking points. I'm of the opinion that many talking points are for _other_ people to believe, but the ones saying them do not believe in them. The subject matter just doesn't affect them. Why would a politician who has been bought by Big Media care about innovation, loss of jobs/liberty, or erosion of rights? Hit them where it hurts. Threaten _their_ job. If you los…

"Every one admits how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep faith, and to live with integrity and not with craft. Nevertheless our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account, and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft, and in the end have overcome those who have relied on their word.... he who has known best how to [be foxy] has succeeded best.

"But it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic, and to be a great pretender and dissembler; and men are so simple, and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived. One recent example I cannot pass over in silence. Alexander VI did nothing else but deceive men, nor ever thought of doing otherwise, and he always found victims; for there never was a man who had greater power in asserting, or who with greater oaths would affirm a thing, yet would observe it less; nevertheless his deceits always succeeded according to his wishes, because he well understood this side of mankind.

"Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them."

http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince18.htm (As they say, read the whole thing... the chapter, anyhow.)

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#75

Post by gyardley »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #58
gyardley wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While your Congressman has probably already made up his mind on this issue, you're not going to help him change it if your communication comes from a 'liberal' organization like the EFF. Why don't you try writing him while incorporating some more conservative commentary? Here's a couple of links from the National Review, one of my morning reads: http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/281962/larry-downes-sop... http://w…

How is the EFF a liberal organization? Their primary agenda seems to be pro individual privacy, pro encryption, and anti-copyright. Until 2001, some of those (encryption and privacy) were conservative issues. Now both parties tend to be in agreement and oppose the EFF on all of these issues.

That's why I put 'liberal' in quotes.

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#76

Post by jiggy2011 »

georgemcbay wrote: post #56
freehunter wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mr Congressman, you have lost my vote forever. Furthermore, I will be campaigning on behalf of $OPPONENT who still believes in freedom and our greatest liberties. The fact that we have great men like $OPPONENT proves American democracy still works.

Unfortunately it is incredibly rare to find a match for your hypothetical $OPPONENT that is both electable enough that your letter won't be laughed off and who actually fits the description of being a great man (or woman).

This is often the problem with politics, you may strongly disagree with government policy on an issue that is important to you but all of the other parties that stand any chance at all of being elected to office also support the governments stance on that issue.

So your choice is either to concede that issue or vote for a fringe party (which here in the UK basically makes your vote worthless).

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#78

Post by ghurlman »

roc wrote: post #55
BoppreH wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny how people use "$winter_holiday_of_choice" to avoid religious bias, but end up ignoring the literal half of the planet where the holiday happens during summer. Not complaining, just pointing out the futility of the exercise. It would have made sense if SOPA was an American problem, but as it stands it threatens the internet for the whole world because of hosting locations and origin of technology companies.

> "Not complaining, just pointing out the futility of the exercise." So you're saying we should go with $solstice_holiday_of_choice ? Just because they didn't abstract sufficiently doesn't mean that abstraction is necessarily futile.

$december_reason_to_see_the_parents then. :P

Re: How does SOPA threaten Stack Overflow?

#79

Post by roc »

ghurlman wrote: post #78
roc wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Not complaining, just pointing out the futility of the exercise." So you're saying we should go with $solstice_holiday_of_choice ? Just because they didn't abstract sufficiently doesn't mean that abstraction is necessarily futile.

$december_reason_to_see_the_parents then. :P

Ahh, but then you're still excluding any culture not using the Gregorian calendar... ;)
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