Millions of Americans are actively protesting the passing of two anti-piracy bills currently in Congress. This includes the “blackouts” of several popular sites, such as Wikipedia, Google and even our host site, WordPress. US News estimates that over 7,000 websites have joined the movement. The greeting on the US Wikipedia page reads:
” Imagine a World Without Free KnowledgeFor over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.”
Internet in the US has always been free and open, despite several failed attempts at regulation. The two bills, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), being voted on in the Senate next week pose a particular threat to internet neutrality. What could be so terrible about the protection of intellectual property? Do we not trust the integrity of our Congress at all? As a law student, I already know there are important reasons for the drafting of such a bill that need to be addressed. You can read a ton of different blogs and news sources, but the facts come from the legislative language itself. Continue reading
