Two thousand. That's the number of people calling their member of Congress every second last Wednesday to weigh in on important legislation affecting the future of the Internet. Yes, every second.
All told, millions of people from across the nation expressed their concerns about a bill in the House called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and a similar Senate proposal, PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). Both are complicated pieces of legislation intended to combat online piracy -- an admirable goal. Unfortunately, the bills that were produced would not have stopped or even curbed online piracy. But they would have hurt innovation, hampered job growth, undermined years of effort to build the next generation Internet and posed a real threat to cybersecurity.
As word of the risks spread among entrepreneurs, investors, academics, cybersecurity experts and consumers learned about the risk, the sector came together. That is no small feat. This is an industry that has nearly 6 million jobs all throughout the nation. But it is spread across the country. It is diffuse and diverse. Still, when it comes to important policy issues -- they are committed to getting it right.
Never before has the technology sector been more unified and showed its political and organizing power to the nation as was evidenced here. More than 6,000 people every minute were signing online petitions, thousands more rallying in streets around the country -- including entrepreneurs, mayors, innovators, business leaders and so many others. In just 48 hours, the tech community had raised their voice and Congress listened. While no one group can or should dictate what happens with a particular piece of legislation -- such a groundswell deserves to be heard.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was right to postpone a procedural vote PIPA. Simply put, there is still more work to be done. In their current form, SOPA and PIPA are problematic. Both are too broadly written so they likely would result in an undermined environment for innovation in America. The technology sector remains committed to combating online piracy and we believe it is important to do everything we can to stop it.
We're proud of how our sector unified around this issue and demonstrated the power of technology for organizing and policy advocacy, yet we know that more work lies ahead.
We thank Congress for slowing down. We are ready to work together and show openness and humility to finding the right solutions.
Using this pause will enable everyone affected the chance to come back to the table to forge a solution that effectively combats online piracy without harming this incredibly dynamic information network that has enriched the lives of all Americans.
Rey Ramsey is the President and CEO of TechNet.
I will gaurentee you that 85% of people under the age of thirty in country believe that the copyright system is fundamentally broken. That is why the Pirate Party is the fastest growing political party in Europe with people 18-30. I'm sorry but Dinosaurs need to die or at least get out of the way, copying is not theft and never has been. I don't believe it's right to use anything without attribution but the copying and remixing of information is fundamental to evolution, technological progress, and human nature. People have the false idea that copyright and patents protect American innovation this is a huge lie, only the free exchange of information and R&D budgets protect American innovation. Many R&D budgets are being wasted fight bogus IP law claims that will never create a single new thing, we need to wake up and grow up as a nation and our law need to adapt to new realities. The internet is here to stay and the copying of information is never going to get harder, deal with it or kindly GTFO! Vote Pirate Party 2012!
It's never been "legal" to put a copy of something with a price-tag and in your pocket and walk out of the store. But somehow average people forgot that it was wrong to "take" stuff without paying. A law should first of all serve to shed light on what is right and wrong.
Technically, I doubt any measures, legal or otherwise, will ever stop determined thieves. Average people however will stop pirating digital goods when it seems like the majority of their peers believe its wrong.
The web is heading for a better future. I call it Web 4.0. http://davidbrett.blog.ca/2009/06/26/web-4-0-pay-day-6399527/