Huffpo: Stop the Internet Blacklist (PLEASE READ)

[Poll_Blind]

From The Huffington Post:

Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) creates two blacklists of Internet domain names. Courts could add sites to the first list; the Attorney General would have control over the second. Internet service providers and others (everyone from Comcast to PayPal to Google AdSense) would be required to block any domains on the first list. They would also receive immunity (and presumably the good favor of the government) if they block domains on the second list.

The lists are for sites "dedicated to infringing activity," but that's defined very broadly -- any domain name where counterfeit goods or copyrighted material are "central to the activity of the Internet site" could be blocked.

One example of what this means in practice: sites like YouTube could be censored in the US. Copyright holders like Viacom often argue copyrighted material is central to the activity of YouTube, but under current US law, YouTube is perfectly legal as long as they take down copyrighted material when they're informed about it -- which is why Viacom lost to YouTube in court.

But if COICA passes, Viacom wouldn't even need to prove YouTube is doing anything illegal to get it shut down -- as long as they can persuade the courts that enough other people are using it for copyright infringement, the whole site could be censored.

Perhaps even more disturbing: Even if Viacom couldn't get a court to compel censorship of a YouTube or a similar site, the DOJ could put it on the second blacklist and encourage ISPs to block it even without a court order. (ISPs have ample reason to abide the will of the powerful DOJ, even if the law doesn't formally require them to do so.)

You thought the bullshit lawsuit against DU is bad? Please help to stop the above legislation from ever getting out of committee!

There is a link in the story to sign your name to a petition. Senator Patrick Leahy sponsored this piece of shit and here are his co-sponsors:

Democratic:
Evan Bayh D-IN
Benjamin Cardin D-MD
Richard Durbin D-IL
Dianne Feinstein D-CA
Amy Klobuchar D-MN
Herbert Kohl D-WI
Charles Schumer D-NY
Arlen Specter D-PA
Sheldon Whitehouse D-R

Republican:
Lamar Alexander R-TN
Thomas Coburn R-OK
Lindsey Graham R-SC
Charles Grassley R-IA
Orrin Hatch R-UT
George Voinovich R-OH

That's my new who's who of people who are not invited over to the house. The Republicans are fuckfaces and I hope they get cancer for a bill like this. The Democrats are just...confused or something, riiiiight?

Anyway, help bury this piece of shit.

PB

[The Northerner]

1. K&R

Huh? Who would unrec this thread?

[Poll_Blind]

No idea, but I'll...

...take kicks as gladly as recs. This is an atrocious bit of legislation and it could have a very real, negative impack on DU and places like DU, if enacted.

Period.

PB

[RKP5637]

2. It's a F'en endless battle on all fronts, anymore... n/t

[frazzled]

3. Yeah, Sheldon Whitehouse and Dick Durbin are sooo your enemies

Where can you turn? What can you do? Maybe move to Costa Rica?

[RKP5637]

4. Costa Rica can be quite nice. n/t

[diane in sf]

5. Of course Feinstein would support this garbage

[leveymg]

6. Funny how bipartisan they can be when there's big campaign cash to be had, as here.

They disgust me. The whole lot of them.

[Poll_Blind]

7. Some pieces of legislation are just so wildly over the line you have to...

...wonder (at least I do) "What the fuck is this Democratic representative thinking? How does this bill strengthen anything I or the bulk of voting Democrats associate with Progressive/Liberal values or the Democratic party, in general?"

PB

[JCMach1]

8. et tu Whitehouse?

The other sponsors are some of the usual suspects.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Poll_Blind.