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Viacom's SOPA/PIPA Pitch Video, Annotated

Posted by timothy on from the rehashing-II-the-return dept.

Lauren Weinstein writes "Viacom has just released a video calling for support of global Internet censorship via SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). A truth annotated version of this approximately seven-minute video is now available." Reader quantumplacet writes with word that the Business Software Alliance (probably for reasons other than this video) has withdrawn its support for SOPA, claiming that "Valid and important questions have been raised about the bill." Writes quantumplacet: "While the BSA has a long history of focusing on the worst offenders and mostly ignoring casual piracy, this still represents a dramatic turnaround as the organization has been a SOPA supporter since the act's inception. BSA President Robert Hollyman posted on the company blog that 'Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights that cannot be compromised. ....Some observers have raised reasonable questions about whether certain SOPA provisions might have unintended consequences in these areas.'"

6 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Even if SOPA dies, they'll just reintroduce it by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How many times now have similar bills died, only to be reintroduced under more and more bizarrely inaccurate names? Next time I suspect they'll call it the "Stop Online Pedophiles Act" and use the argument that it can be used to combat child predators. After all, you don't want to support pedophiles *DO YOU*?

    I propose a law that mandates that laws introduced in the future can only be called by their official Congressional letter-number designation. I'm calling it the "Super-Patriot I-Love-America Act."

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Even if SOPA dies, they'll just reintroduce it by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "You don't hate flood victims, do you?"

      Well, looking at what happened with Katrina... Yes, the Congress does in fact hate flood victims.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Even if SOPA dies, they'll just reintroduce it by phorm · · Score: 5, Informative

      Or disallow riders that are not related to the primary bill being passed.

  2. Annotations... by Jahava · · Score: 5, Informative

    So for those who haven't watched the "annotated" version, allow me to summarize. The production presents a series of film industry professionals talking about how they think things "should" be, why piracy is "not right", and dropping some of the classic inflated statistics that we all know and love. Each annotation is overlayed on top its respective scene to act in shallow rebuttal. The annotations present very few (if any) actual facts in rebuttal, rather relying on the same appeal to emotion and common sense that the original production pursued.

    I hope I'm not the only one who was gravely disappointed with these "nuh-uh!"-style counterpoints. Rather than "and yet the film industry made record profits", let's drop some actual numbers. If our premise - that these guys have failed to make their case to support SOPA - is correct, then all of the world's facts should back us up.

    If you're going to rebut a video, have something more inspiring and concrete than "and yet you want to censor the Internet."

    1. Re:Annotations... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Thin as it may be, did you see a single "reference" or "fact" to back up any of the Film Industries claims? No, you didn't, because there are no facts to back up their claims.

      Heck, up until a few years ago they were still using CASSETTE TAPE sales declines as "proof" piracy was killing the music industry.

      I agree, they should have provided the facts, which anyone can get by googling "box office records" the more piracy becomes rampant, the more money they make opening weekend.

      The fact remains, they are attempting to control and restrict a GLOBAL network based on US laws. It's a load of crap, based on a load of crap, sprinkled with sugar coated pieces of crap, served on a coal fired piece of crap platter.

      My favorite part is how it goes from "downloading" to stopping counterfeit goods. How exactly is restricting MY internet access going to stop companies in China from making fake dora toys? It isn't.

      An illegal download is NOT a lost sale, it's a potential lost sale.

      If you don't want your business to fail, LEARN TO ADAPT. you can't pull a Steve Jobs and tell the market what they want, that only works for inferior applie iProducts. You have to cater to your target market, and adapt as it changes.

      Radio will kill the industry
      VHS and BETAMAX will kill the industry
      Cassette audio tapes will kill the industry
      CDs will kill the industry
      DVDs will kill the industry
      The internet will kill the industry.

      fool me once.........

  3. South Park by Gideon+Wells · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Anyone else find all that South Park stuff being on there is somewhat ironic? Maybe they just need to pitch more that all the episodes save some of the more recent ones (after the first week and then they pop back on) and two taken down for censorship are online for free?

    I say Ironic was Trey and Matt stated they pushed for all the episodes being online for free because they were tired of having to pirate their own series whenever they easily wanted to rewatch an episode easily?

    --
    by Anonymous Coward: I, for one, welcome the shift from car analogies to pizza analogies. um.. overlords?