tagged w/ Wikipedia
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According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Google spent approximately $390,000 (out of $3,760,000.00 total) on SOPA and PIPA lobbying including efforts to educate lawmakers on SOPA and the DMCA. The question, then, is whether the massive search and advertising giant was for or against the bill – and why so much money was spent to argue the case.
The document, available online in PDF here, is fairly succinct and covers a number of topics, thereby explaining the massive cash outlay. Here’s the specific mention of SOPA:
Here’s the specific mention of SOPA:
S. 968 – Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011; S. 978 -
Commercial Felony Streaming Act; S. 2029 – Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act; H.R. 3261 -
Stop Online Piracy Act; Digital Millennium Copyright Act service provider safe harbors; Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Google was unavailable for comment for this piece but it’s clear that most organizations with a dog in the fight spent some money on lobbying. Wikimedia spent a mere $10K on their efforts, at least according to documents we found. The MPAA made its interests clear in the media but less clear in FEC filings, pouring in $850,000.00 in lobbying money while mentioning nothing of its stance.According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Google spent approximately... more
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Stop Online Piracy Act
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill, if made law, would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.[2] Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.[3]
The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months. The bill also gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement.[4]
Proponents of the bill say it protects the intellectual property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and is necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws, especially against foreign websites.[5] They cite examples such as Google's $500 million settlement with the Department of Justice for its role in a scheme to target U.S. consumers with ads to illegally import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.[6]
Opponents say that it violates the First Amendment,[7] is Internet censorship,[8] will cripple the Internet,[9] and will threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech actions.[7][10] Opponents have initiated a number of protest actions, including petition drives, boycotts of companies that support the legislation, and planned service blackouts by English Wikipedia and major Internet companies scheduled to coincide with the next Congressional hearing on the matter.
The House Judiciary Committee held hearings on November 16 and December 15, 2011. The Committee was scheduled to continue debate in January 2012,[11] but on January 17 Chairman Smith said that "[d]ue to the Republican and Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February."[12]Stop Online Piracy Act
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill... more
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Beginning earlier this morning at midnight, Wednesday, January 18, 2012 some major Internet companies did something historical - by going dark for 24 hours as part of an online protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. Ray Suarez discusses the planned blackout with Ben Huh, the CEO of the Cheezburger Network, a participating company, and NBC Universal's Rick Cotton, who supports the legislation as written.Beginning earlier this morning at midnight, Wednesday, January 18, 2012 some major... more
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The wave of online protests against two Congressional bills that aim to curtail copyright violations on the Internet is gathering momentum.
Wikipedia is the latest Web site to decide to shut on Wednesday in protest against the two Congressional bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, often called SOPA, and the Protect IP Act, which is often called PIPA. The bills have attracted fierce opposition from many corners of the technology industry. Opponents say several of the provisions in the legislation, including those that may force search engines and Internet service providers to block access to Web sites that offer or link to copyrighted material, would stifle innovation, enable censorship and tamper with the livelihood of businesses on the Internet.
Nearly 800 members of Wikipedia have been debating and voting whether the English-version of the site should participate in a blackout since December.
Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, confirmed the site’s decision on Monday on Twitter, writing: “Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!”
In a phone interview late Monday, Mr. Wales said that the Wikipedia community hoped to send a clear message to lawmakers and regulators in Washington that people who worked on the Internet and used it daily were not happy about the potential effects of the bills.
“What will make a difference is for ordinary people to pick up the phone and send an e-mail or a letter to their representatives about this,” he said. “When you consider the magnitude of how many people use Wikipedia globally, there is a potential here for really creating some noise and getting some attention in the U.S.”
Mr. Wales said that if passed, the bills could censor what information and links that sites like Wikipedia would be permitted to publish.
“The government could tell us that we could write an entry about the history of the Pirate Bay but not allow us to link to it,” he said, referring to the popular file-sharing site. “That’s a First Amendment issue.”
Wikipedia will go dark at midnight Eastern time on Tuesday and remain unavailable until midnight Eastern time on Wednesday. Visitors around the globe who try to reach the English-version of Wikipedia will be greeted with information about the bills and details about how to reach their local representatives. Mr. Wales said 460 million people around the world visited the site each month, and he estimated that the blackout could reach as many as 100 million people. In addition, some international Wikipedia communities, including the one in Germany, have decided to post notices on their home pages leading to information about the protests, although they will remain functioning as usual.
Mr. Wales said the decision to take the site down was an unprecedented move by Wikipedia. In October, the Italian version of Wikipedia staged a similar online protest in response to a similar bill proposed by the Italian Parliament, but the scale of Wednesday’s demonstration would be significantly broader, he said.
Wikipedia’s protest will join several other Web sites, including Reddit, the social news site, and BoingBoing, a technology and culture blog, that also plan to black out their sites on Wednesday. Some sites that are not planning to go offline are still finding ways to participate in the protest. For example, WordPress, a blogging platform, is supplying its users with a widget that will add a banner to their Web sites and blogs showing support for the protest.
It is not yet clear whether any of the biggest Internet companies, like Facebook or Google, will also participate. Dick Costolo, chief executive at Twitter, responding to inquiries on Twitter, suggested that although the company had been among those in the industry to oppose elements of the bill, it would not follow in Wikipedia’s footsteps.
The groundswell of technology leaders, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and public policy advocates galvanizing around a central political issue is unique to the technology industry, which has largely been inactive in lobbying and activities in Washington.
But that is changing, Mr. Wales said.
“What we’ve seen across the world, with the Arab Spring, is that people are now more aware of the tools that are available for people to make a big noise and make their voices heard,” he said. “Ten years ago, the Internet was quite big and didn’t have the infrastructure for the public to express their voice in this way, and that’s fundamentally changing.”
By JENNA WORTHAMThe wave of online protests against two Congressional bills that aim to curtail... more
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UK scientists find ‘lost’ Darwin fossils
Wikipedia to be blacked out over anti-piracy bill
Insight: Recovery at risk as Americans raid savingsUK scientists find ‘lost’ Darwin fossils
Wikipedia to be blacked out over... more
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“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
read more at
http://diversitynewsmagazine.com/2012/01/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-full-i-have-a-dream-speech-as-delivered-on-aug-28-1963/“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the... more
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Published: 13 December, 2011, 15:51
http://rt.com/news/wikipedia-strike-sopa-legislation-677/
Wikipedia is the latest to join internet industry giants in the fight to stop the bill from being pushed through the Senate.
Wikipedia may temporarily blank out its pages in self-sacrifice to draw attention to the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. While the bill aims to protect copyrighted material, critics fear corporate manipulation could lead to greater censorship.
The US lawmakers behind the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) say it would deal a blow to online pirates and producers of counterfeit brand products like designer fashion items or medicines.
The bill is intended to crack down on websites operating outside of the United States. If passed, the legislation would allow the US government to shut down any site illegally hosting copyrighted content.
However, not everyone supports the move. Wikipedia is the latest to join internet industry giants in the fight to stop the bill from being pushed through the Senate.
While there are legitimate reasons behind showbiz’s drive in favor of SOPA – the industry is losing millions of dollars in revenue – some feel the legislation is overkill on internet piracy
Internet companies, the Consumer Electronics Association and others have argued that the measure goes too far and the wording is too ambiguous.
In reality, the real use of the bill could be much wider. If approved, SOPA will enable individuals or organizations claiming copyright to effectively block any website they suspect of infringing their rights. No court decision would be necessary, and third parties would be granted immunity from any reprisals resulting from their voluntary action against the alleged offenders.Consequently, popular sites like Wikipedia would be responsible for the material that is uploaded onto their site.
Fearing that a medium based on the free sharing of information could be targeted, Wikipedia has chosen to fight back with a highly symbolic act.
The “self-censorship” idea came to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales after Italian Wikipedia blanked out its site a few months ago in an effort to oppose a law in the country which would infringe on their editorial independence.
“The Italian Parliament backed down immediately,” Wales writes. “As Wikipedians may or may not be aware, a much worse law going under the misleading title of ‘Stop Online Piracy Act’ is working its way through [the Senate] on a bit of a fast track.”
However, Wales is not quick to jump into action without consultation and approval from the site’s users and editors. The online information straw poll has been posted online so everyone can have their say before Wales makes a decision.
A ‘grave threat’…
The strongest lobbyist for SOPA is the US entertainment industry, which wants the government to act against what it labels “digital theft”.
Creative America, an organization fighting against online piracy is the biggest advocate for SOPA. In this fight Creative America is backed by an unprecedented coalition of major entertainment unions, guilds, studios and networks.
The organization warns of the “grave threat content theft poses” to industry’s “livelihood and creativity,” blaming pirates for making millions of dollars on illegal trafficking and undermining the legitimate online content providers.
…And corporate censorship
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, speaking at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, referred to the controversial legislation as a form of censorship.
"The solutions are draconian," he said, as cited by Reuters. "There's a bill that would require (internet service providers) to remove URLs from the web, which is also known as censorship last time I checked."
The remarks followed a letter to lawmakers opposing the bills from a group of internet companies including Google, AOL Inc, eBay Inc, Facebook, Yahoo Inc and Twitter.
"We are concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job creation, as well as to our nation's cyber security," the companies wrote.
Essentially the fight is between entertainment industry and internet and consumer electronics industries. While the first one, rightfully defending its rights, vigorously supports SOPA, the latter one opposes it with an equal force.
Will Wikipedia’s strike tilt the scales in favor of online and electronics industry, before the bill is rammed through in Washington, is yet unknown. However, blanking out one of the most visited sites with billions of page views per month will definitely send a strong message to lawmakers in Washington. Maybe just in time.Published: 13 December, 2011, 15:51... more
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Harry Morgan, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his son Charles confirmed. (born Harry Bratsberg.Harry Morgan, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his son Charles... more
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John Lennon was an English musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles, for his subsequent solo career, and for his political activism and pacifism. He was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, in New York City, on Monday, 8 December 1980John Lennon was an English musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders... more
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I was completely overwhelmed by (ok, I admit it, I was initially actually deterred from reading) the intimidatingly humongous ‘kitchen sink’ tract at the beginning of the Wikipedia article defining ‘ecosystem services‘ (which is a widely used term used to describe this whole field) which seems to include just about everything to do with conservation and environmental issues.
Thankfully, this talk by Jennifer Morris of Conservation International seems to do a much more helpful job of introducing the rest of us to the interface between business and big environmental initiatives.I was completely overwhelmed by (ok, I admit it, I was initially actually deterred... more
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Andrew Aitken “Andy” Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) was an American radio and television writer. He was most notable for his weekly broadcast “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney”, a part of the CBS News program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011. His final regular appearance on 60 Minutes aired October 2, 2011. He died a little over a month later on November 4 at age 92.Andrew Aitken “Andy” Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011)... more
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If McKinsey‘s believe in it, then even if you are unsure, you’d better get the best briefing you can: these videos may raise just as many questions as answers, but they’re a good starting pointIf McKinsey‘s believe in it, then even if you are unsure, you’d better get... more
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On Monday, August 15, 2011 Legendary Jane Fonda hosted and signed her book title ”Prime Time” at Barnes & Noble in Los Angeles located 189 Grove Drive Suite K 30 in Los Angeles, CA 90036. PRIME TIME book is about: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit–making the most of all of your life.
http://diversitynewsmagazine.com/2011/08/prime-time-book-signing-by-legendary-jane-fonda-at-barnes-noble-in-la/On Monday, August 15, 2011 Legendary Jane Fonda hosted and signed her book title... more
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I’m sure you’ve heard of people changing the facts on Wikipedia to suit their causes. The latest- making a new “founding father” so that Michelle B. looks like a Rhodes Scholar instead of a woman without a clue that plays fast and loose with our country’s history.I’m sure you’ve heard of people changing the facts on Wikipedia to suit... more
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"Man, you’ve gotta almost admire the sheer blind dedication of Sarah Palin’s wingnut acolytes.
Now they’re trying like crazy to edit the Wikipedia page for “Paul Revere” to make it match Palin’s botched version of history. Here’s the Revision history of Paul Revere; check out the edits that are being reversed.
Also see the discussion page for an entertaining exchange between Wikipedia editors and a would-be revisionist."
They don't care how wrong her comments are. If she said it, they want to be treated as fact."Man, you’ve gotta almost admire the sheer blind dedication of Sarah... more
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