SOPA and PIPA - How will it affect me?
Before I get into my own opinion on SOPA and PIPA, I am sure some of you are not aware what they are so to explain what is SOPA and PIPA, here is a bit from our beloved Wikipeadia;
"SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. SOPA is short for the "Stop Online Piracy Act," and PIPA is an acronym for the "Protect IP Act." ("IP" stands for "intellectual property.") In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act articles on Wikipedia."
As you can see, it is based in the US, but that's the question on every body's mind; How will it affect me? We in the UK and other parts of Europe are wondering this, some are suggesting it will not effect us, as if the bill goes to US Law, then its US Law not UK Law and so forth. Some are believing it will affect us, just take a look on some of the sites you use. The BBC website is; www.bbc.co.uk. Now re-read the website link, it has: dot co dot UK!! It is a UK based website, they will not be affected unless the law is passed over here. Some websites have it too (.co.uk) Google for instance, there is www.google.com, but there is also www.google.co.uk, same with Facebook too. Then again... where are they based? Oh yes, the US!! Their websites will be filtered, same with, Yahoo, Ask, and Bing, not to mention Wikipedia too!! All US based searches, that searches all over the world to find what you need. Wikipeadia store everything, from where Apples grow, to where Zebras came from, you can find out things about your favourite celebrity too! Think about all the things you can access, Anime, Movies, Manga, Pictures of those film stars you love to print out and stick on your walls. Soon most of that will be GONE!! Celebrities are with SOPA and PIPA as their details will be taken down, but so will so much more. I can understand that downloading films and music online is against the law, and they want it stopped, but why punish so many millions than shut down the sites doing so.
Who reading this remembers that website that popped up in 2005 everywhere? That same site that to this day has roughly "72 million people visiting per month"?
That website is known as YouTube. We all use it, and have done for years!! The original idea was to create a dating site where people could be classified based on their videos, but it never turned out that way. In winter 2006 YouTube was bought out by Google for $1650 million dollars. YouTube has signed two agreements with Universal Music Group and CBS, and Google had signed agreements with Sony BMG and Warner Music to distribute music videos. Also;
"Disney signed in late March 2009 an agreement with YouTube, allowing transmission short video of the ABC and ESPN. Disney may submit ads on YouTube with this treatment. In April 2009, Google announced that YouTube signed alliances with some Hollywood studios."- artlaco.articlealley.com
The main reason I am bringing up YouTube here is they have had lawsuits and have signed agreements. We all thought we where doomed when this went across the US then following the world. We cannot access some of the stuff posted on YouTube anymore as they are set to country's, if there is a video you want to watch, and it is not available, the message will say; "This video is not available in your country"
The same thing will happen if SOPA and PIPA will come into effect, the difference is here, it is a law passed, not a company suing another company. Look at what happened to YouTube, it effected the whole world. This law also will affect the whole world, but it will not affect us overnight, the changes will be small, but they will grow fast and rapid. If it does, you will start seeing some changes in YouTube, as videos will be taken down quickly as some are still known as illegal copies, as you download the video to make your AMV's (Animated Music Video's).
One thing that did get brought to my attention was how much the Anime and Manga world will be effected. I saw on Facebook a conversation about this, someone was saying how it will not affect us at all, and we will be fine. I have to say, Japan has for years been trying to stop FREE online feeds of animation and manga. After all it is streaming, and just one step away from downloading. When you watch anime online or reading manga online, you are not paying towards the companies to publish the manga or anime. So of course they will be with SOPA and PIPA. If the US manages it, then Japan will try too, and the rest of the world will follow.
Now in hoping you have read this far, I would like to say this is my own view on things, I have got facts and information from other sites, so please, do not sit there and comment below saying how wrong I am, and how I should look things up. Well I have, and this is how I see it. Everyone has a right to their own opinion and freedom of speech, and guess what? So am I! I feel that if SOPA and PIPA is STOPPED then we will all be fine, students (College and University) will have the knolage at their fingertips, normal every day people can just go online and sort their problems out (we have all done it at least once, I have). Looking online for new manga and anime will be possible, even looking up a celebrity, or movie. We only do all this to learn more, we are only human after all, we feel the need to learn as much as possible about things that appeal to us, so if this is stopped in America, it will be stopped for the rest of us!!
I hope you did read, honest!!
Next blog soon...
Love,
Twisted <3
Boring Game = Moshi Monster Moshling Zoo!!
Boring Obsession = Manga... Not a particular one though
Most Boring person = That weird friend!! :D
All sites Referenced, used, or I retrieved information from;
www.wikipedia.org - www.bbc.co.uk - www.google.com
www.yahoo.com - www.ask.com - www.bing.com
www.youtube.com - www.facebook.com -
http://artlaco.articlealley.com/history-of-youtube-1482289.html
