FlannyFlan wrote:Wait.. It hasn't passed yet, if at all.. why are they doing it beforehand? I mean.. if it was that big of an issue, they would have done it a couple of years back..
What i dont get, why are the people who have the copyrighted things even bothered? They still have millions. It's not going to put a giant Dent in their paycheck if it hasnt already. -sigh- I think the US Govt needs to be more concerned about fixing our debt, rather than trying to control the uncontrollable. Seriously if the debts not fixed, i can see us all having to learn chinese within the next 20 years.
Your first sentence is the question of the week--presumably there is something in the current law that allows them to do that (I couldn't see the Justice Dept blatantly violating the law by making illegal arrests--they're not idiots, so they wouldn't think they could do such a thing without being noticed). Of course, if the current laws allow arrests and site shutdowns, then the question becomes:
why are SOPA and PIPA even needed? If they're redundant with existing laws, then their supporters just wasted a lot of political capital for no discernible purpose.
As for why they're even worried about copyright, I can totally understand why they want to crack down on piracy. It takes a ton of money to produce a movie / computer program / video game, so even though they're profitable in spite of piracy, there is still ample incentive to try further reducing it. Part of it could also be the principle of the matter, wanting to protect their property from theft.* But I do agree with you, that the national debt is a far greater problem and should therefore be a much higher priority (assuming you're in America like me... or alternatively, if you're in Greece). China makes me nervous, so I desperately wish we could start getting along better with Russia.
*Tangent:
I feel the need to explain myself here, as this can often spark an argument in discussions of copyright/piracy. Yes, in my view, some cases of digital piracy are basically the same as theft. I don't think the comparison applies to cases where someone pirates material that they wouldn't have bought if buying legitimately was the only option. But if you pirate material that you otherwise would have been happy buy at retail price, then you actually did deprive the director/programmer/whatever of a sale that they otherwise would have made. Because of the cost associated with producing the information in the movie/program/whatever, losing a sale in such a manner is a real loss to the copyright owner, since the retail price of the material reflects a great amount of expense beyond the production of a physical item like a DVD or CD.The Greymarch has ended.
