Tag Archives: PIPA
Brin: China, Facebook threaten ‘open Web’
(Wired) — Google’s search engine was created when most of the Web’s information was open and available to anyone willing to capture it. In today’s more restrictive environment, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and CEO Larry Page may not have even tried to start the company.
“The kind of environment that we developed Google in, the reason that we were able to develop a search engine, is the Web was so open,” Brin told The Guardian. “Once you get too many rules, that will stifle innovation.”
In an interview published Sunday, Google’s co-founder cited a wide range of attacks on “the open Internet,” including government censorship and interception of data, overzealous attempts to protect intellectual property, and new communication portals that use web technologies and the internet, but under restrictive corporate control.
There
Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_technology/~3/L5mqqS21ulM/index.html
Congress shelves anti-piracy bills
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he was postponing a vote set for Tuesday “in light of recent events.”
“There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved,” he said in a statement, referring to the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), a Senate bill that would crack down on websites that violate copyrights and sell counterfeit goods. “I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks.”
House Judiciary Committee chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who introduced the House version known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also called for a delay.
“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the
Article source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-TechTopStories/~3/exWlpviKNzg/1
Opinion: SOPA and PIPA can be improved
Editor’s note: Andrew McDiarmid is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Democracy Technology, a nonprofit group that advocates for an open Internet.
(CNN) — Something remarkable is happening Wednesday. A large swath of the Internet is blacking out in protest of two controversial copyright bills being considered in Congress. Major Web juggernauts such as Google and Wikipedia, some graduate schools and a number of start-ups and prominent advocates are participating in what is expected to be the largest organized online protests in more than a decade.
While the actions vary from site to site — some are shutting down, some are turning their pages black — the message is clear: Neither the Senate’s Protect
Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_technology/~3/jbGJcVfa6aQ/index.html
SOPA protest gets intended effect
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill were flooded with calls Wednesday morning in response to an online blackout by technology companies, including Wikipedia, Moveon.org, Reddit and thousands of other small sites protesting two related bills that would crack down on websites that use copyrighted materials and sell counterfeit goods. Some key lawmakers who’ve supported or co-sponsored the legislation are also backing off.
Many of the sites that went dark Wednesday explained the legislation and entreated users to call their representatives by listing their phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
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STORY: Questions and answers on anti-piracy bills
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STORY: Websites go dark in protest of proposed legislation
“It’s busy,” says Patrick Chiarelli, a staffer for Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash. Staffers at other lawmakers’ offices also say their call volumes spiked.
The legislation — the Stop Online Piracy Act (a House bill commonly called
Article source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-TechTopStories/~3/vQJBAAkajtM/1
Questions and answers on anti-piracy bills
The legislation — two similar bills pending in the House and Senate — would empower the Department of Justice and copyright holders to shut down websites that violate intellectual property or sell counterfeit goods. A range of U.S. businesses and their trade groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, pharmaceutical and media companies and publishers, say it would lead to more jobs and revenues and promote consumer safety.
Opponents, including large and small Internet companies and First Amendment advocates, argue that it would stifle innovation and lead to censorship. Here are key issues to consider:
Q: What are SOPA and PIPA?
A: SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, is a House
Article source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-TechTopStories/~3/LmBDzmSNhYk/1
