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What Would SOPA and PIPA Do?
The bills targets websites that use the Internet for two things: helping people transfer copyrighted content, or selling counterfeit goods.
Once an offending site is identified, the bills target all the pieces of an ecosystem many websites need to survive. Companies from Internet service providers and advertising services to payment networks like PayPal would be forbidden from doing business with the site. The bills would also force search engines to not link to sites deemed to contain pirated content.
The SOPA bill contains a clause promising, “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impose a prior restraint on free speech or the press protected under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.”
But that caveat has not placated critics, who are alarmed by what they call the bills’ aggressive measures and ambiguous language. Both bills are meant to target foreign entities — but they also state that any site “facilitating” violations of the law is punishable.
SOPA was introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, along with a bipartisan group of 12 co-sponsors. PIPA was introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., along with 11 co-sponsors from both parties. After their introduction, both bills gained more supporters — until protests against them became more public, in December.
NPR

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What Would SOPA and PIPA Do?

The bills targets websites that use the Internet for two things: helping people transfer copyrighted content, or selling counterfeit goods.

Once an offending site is identified, the bills target all the pieces of an ecosystem many websites need to survive. Companies from Internet service providers and advertising services to payment networks like PayPal would be forbidden from doing business with the site. The bills would also force search engines to not link to sites deemed to contain pirated content.

The SOPA bill contains a clause promising, “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impose a prior restraint on free speech or the press protected under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.”

But that caveat has not placated critics, who are alarmed by what they call the bills’ aggressive measures and ambiguous language. Both bills are meant to target foreign entities — but they also state that any site “facilitating” violations of the law is punishable.

SOPA was introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, along with a bipartisan group of 12 co-sponsors. PIPA was introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., along with 11 co-sponsors from both parties. After their introduction, both bills gained more supporters — until protests against them became more public, in December.

NPR

Visit Wikipedia and contact your representative

12:56 am • 19 January 2012 • 8 notes • #SOPA #joyce su loves you #news