Represent
Back when SOPA and PIPA were first becoming part of public consciousness, I sent an email to my representative in Washington, D.C. expressing my disapproval of the bill, and stated quite plainly that if it were to come to a vote and she supported it, I would not be voting for her, were she to seek reelection. Well, I finally got a response of what I assume is a form letter. At least I know it got through, but I doubt my representative ever saw it herself. Regardless, I felt compelled to rattle off a response:
Congresswoman Granger,
I appreciate your email, and hope you do understand my concerns about SOPA. I would like to elaborate on why it is not something that can be passed and strike the right balance.
While combatting counterfeit goods is important, DNS blocking is not the way to fight piracy of any kind. Corporations, media outlets, and even individual citizens should not gain the ability to block websites of any kind by simply claiming a copyright or trademark infringement. Physical goods should be dealt with in the physical realm, tracked down, and confiscated. Fundamentally changing the way the Internet behaves will not solve these or any other problems, and will introduce violations of our rights of free speech and fair use.
The Internet cannot be regulated; it is not something that can be owned. The best way for purveyors of any good to protect their properties, intellectual and otherwise, is to provide legitimate means to obtain them via official channels, and make sure that they are easier to use than the pirated alternatives and as reasonably priced as possible. I believe this would be what some like to hold up as the free market at work. I believe in regulation, and think we should have more for sectors like finance, but not when it is being used to aid business models that are outdated.
I’ve never pirated music, because it is not worth the hassle — it is easier to use iTunes. As a creator myself, I never want to acquire things illicitly, and I condemn those who do so simply to save money. But when those offering products and services refuse to make their wares accessible in a sane way, I encourage those who can stomach piracy to do so, because poor business execution and management should not be rewarded.
It is not the job of you or any of your colleagues to help businesses make money; it is your job to keep hurdles out of the way that prevent legitimate business from being conducted, and to ensure that the consumer is treated fairly under the law. SOPA does not even begin to accomplish this, and as such should not be considered, even in an altered form.
