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Crowdsourced List of SOPA Supporters
Fraser Cain writes "GoDaddy listened to reason, and reversed their position on SOPA. Here's a crowdsourced list of every other company supporting SOPA with web address, Twitter feed, contact emails and phone numbers. Perhaps they should be contacted to find out if they still fully support SOPA, or have changed their mind."
GoDaddy didn't reverse their position at all. They are still in support of SOPA. Here is the CEO refusing to come out against the bill:
http://gizmodo.com/5870920/brave-godaddy-ceo-says-hes-neither-for-nor-against-sopa
Considering Autodesk actually stands to gain a little by allowing individual pirates to use their software (ie hobbyists who cant afford outrageous fees) , I am surprised to see them on this list. I would also be surprised to see adobe on here, but gladly they are not.
Large communities surround 3D studio max, Maya, and Mudbox. The likelihood they paid for the software is minimal, and the likelihood they make content that generates revenue is even smaller. But! They also become the back bone to an industry of artists who DO create revenue generating content. Allowing younger individuals to use this software builds, how ever silly, alliances to that software and in turn probable profit for Autodesk down the line.
I would like to hear arguments against this position though.
Thoughts?
Eat sleep die
Lets not believe all the hype. GoDaddy has decided, for business reasons, that it is no longer publicly supporting SOPA. GoDaddy is NOT publicly saying that they are against SOPA.
From the GoDaddy Website (and with the assistance of their lawyers and public relations team):
In changing its position, Go Daddy remains steadfast in its promise to support security and stability of the Internet. In an effort to eliminate any confusion about its reversal on SOPA though, Jones has removed blog postings that had outlined areas of the bill Go Daddy did support.
"Go Daddy has always fought to preserve the intellectual property rights of third parties, and will continue to do so in the future," Jones said.
Doesn't sound like much of a retreat to me, especially when they say (in regards to SOPA and the DMCA, that "... and we will continue to do so in the future.".
Also, something interesting, if you look at the official list of SOPA supporters, it is filled with a lot of Christian organizations (they either have the word Christian in their name, or they are Christian conservative in their lifestyles and political beliefs), like this group:
Concerned Women for America, whose mandate is:
Not that I am trying to Troll or make this into a religious controversy, but I do find it curious that along with the usual suspects like the big media conglomerates, that there would be so many Christian organizations interested in stopping the sale of counterfeit Rolex watches. Though I think we all know that when governments and corporations band together to promote a police state for our own protection, things aren't always as they appear.
And speaking of corporations, why am I forced to create a Google account just so that I can RTFA?!
References:
https://www.godaddy.com/newscenter/release-view.aspx?news_item_id=378&isc=smtwsup
http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rouge%20Websites/SOPA%20Supporters.pdf
Microsoft is a SOPA supporter by proxy in that it is a member of the pro SOPA Business Software Alliance. By doing their dirty work this way some other companies may also be attempting to escape being named and shamed as SOPA supporters. Note...Kapersky terminated their BSA membership over the SOPA issue. Wikipedia is kind enough to list the BSA members for us so perhaps this list (excluding Kapersky) should be added to this campaign? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Software_Alliance
I find it unproductive that certain members of congress openly state, "Businesses can and should regulate themselves," and then support SOPA which ignores Constitutional law.
"Enemy of my enemy is my friend." - Ancient proverb
Its not just copyright infringement. Sites that try to bypass the usual import routes will also be targeted.
In the UK we commonly pay 50-200% more than people in the US for goods. Some places like Australia
are even worse. Every now and then someone tries to get around this by importing it themselves. This
happens frequently with wheelchairs that are often twice the price just because there is no alternative source.
It wont just be counterfeit goods, anyone who doesn't use the proper distribution channels will be hit too.