I’m sure many of you have noticed today that some major websites have gone dark or have changed to protest the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills before Congress.
While the intent of these bills is to stop “foreign” copyright infringement, the way they are written, all internet website owners and bloggers could be subject to both fines and jail time for what is written by either them or their contributors. This includes forums and bulletin boards.
Should these bills pass, it would be more than likely that I would have to close this website. I would be so limited in what I could write for fear of being sued or having federal agents outside my door with an arrest warrant.
I wouldn’t be able to do honest gear reviews for fear the owners of the product I was reviewing would say I infringed on their copyright by either calling it by name or taking pictures of it. I wouldn’t be able to comment on any company for the same fear. I would be forced to shut the Reader’s Forum.
I urge all American citizens who like this website to go to the link below, sign the petition and let your elected representatives in Washington know you are against these bills. Thank you.
Google: End Piracy, Not Liberty.
On some websites, people are urged to contact their elected officials directly. However, it seems the Senate doesn’t want to be bothered and has blocked the contact pages from the Senate website. Isn’t it nice to know your elected officials really don’t care what you think, only the thoughts of their corporate contributors.