SOPA copyright bill draws fire

The Stop Online Piracy Act is intended to target "rogue" Web sites, but critics say it'll knock the stuffing out of legitimate sites as well.

How SOPA would affect you: FAQ

An in-depth look at the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, backed by Hollywood and opposed by the largest Web companies and civil liberties groups.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 18, 2012

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How Republican opposition derailed SOPA and Protect IP

SOPA and Protect IP Act have finally splintered a Democrat-Republican alliance in favor of expanding copyright law that's been in place since the 1990s.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
February 1, 2012 10:55 a.m. PT

Obama wants Hollywood, Silicon Valley to 'come together' on SOPA

During a Google+ hangout aired on YouTube, the president stops short of saying he opposes a pair of controversial Hollywood-backed copyright bills.
• SOPA support gets UFC president hacked
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 30, 2012 3:49 p.m. PT

SOPA halted in House

The Congressman says the House Judiciary Committee will not move forward with SOPA "until there is wider agreement on a solution."
• EU Internet czar piles on, says SOPA is bad news
(Posted in The Digital Home by Don Reisinger)
January 20, 2012 7:58 a.m. PT

Senate vote on PIPA is postponed

In the most decisive sign yet that support for controversial antipiracy legislation has collapsed, Sen. Harry Reid issues a statement announcing he has postponed the vote on the Protect IP Act.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 20, 2012 6:42 a.m. PT

Republican presidential candidates slam SOPA, Protect IP

During CNN debate in South Carolina, Republican hopefuls lend a sharp partisan edge to the protest against the legislation by Wikipedia, Google, and thousands of other Web sites.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 19, 2012 11:59 p.m. PT

Payback: Did SOPA cost Obama Hollywood donors?

According to one report, some movie moguls feel betrayed over Obama's SOPA stance and don't plan to donate to the president's re-election campaign.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 19, 2012 10:46 a.m. PT

One early winner in SOPA protest: Wikipedia

With its 24-hour demonstration in muscle-flexing, Wikipedia demonstrates the political potential of crowdsourcing.
(Posted in Digital Media by Charles Cooper)
January 19, 2012 9:06 a.m. PT

ZDNet: For this editor, SOPA Web protest left an impression

The blackout action by Wikipedia, Google, and others demonstrated that the legislation could rock the very foundations of the Web. The daylong event also made it very difficult for one ZDNet editor to do his job.
(Posted in Between the Lines by Andrew Nusca)
January 19, 2012 3:15 a.m. PT

Millions sign Google's anti-SOPA petition

Some 4.5 million signatories sign-on to Google's "End Piracy, Not Liberty" petition that was linked to its homepage today.
(Posted in Digital Media by Dara Kerr)
January 18, 2012 7:17 p.m. PT

#SOPA sets Twitter aflame during blackout day

Social media has been buzzing about the Stop Online Piracy Act for days, but today, talk about the bill exploded on Twitter and elsewhere. Mentions were up by more than 3,300 percent.
(Posted in Geek Gestalt by Daniel Terdiman)
January 18, 2012 3:35 p.m. PT

Going dark means crazy day for anti-SOPA site owners

Just because publications like Reddit, BoingBoing, and PostSecret blacked out their Web sites today, doesn't mean the people who run them got to sit back and relax. Quite the opposite, actually.
(Posted in Geek Gestalt by Daniel Terdiman)
January 18, 2012 2:54 p.m. PT

Protect IP, SOPA protest yanks Senate Web sites offline

An influx of visitors to Senate Web sites during the copyright protest knocked them temporarily offline. But the Capitol switchboard stayed up.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 18, 2012 12:36 p.m. PT

Mark Zuckerberg finally comes out against SOPA

In a Facebook post and his first tweet in nearly three years, the CEO of the world's largest social network made it clear how he feels about the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act: He wants them defeated.
(Posted in Geek Gestalt by Daniel Terdiman)
January 18, 2012 11:28 a.m. PT

Protests lead to weakening support for Protect IP, SOPA

Widespread online protests appear to have convinced some sponsors of Protect IP and the Stop Online Piracy Act that the controversial proposals are no longer worth supporting.
• WSJ comes out for SOPA, more lawmakers pull support
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh and Elinor Mills)
January 18, 2012 10:57 a.m. PT

SOPA protest sees large offline turnout in New York

Perhaps as many as a thousand people gathered in midtown New York as part of a protest against antipiracy legislation.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 18, 2012 10:10 a.m. PT

SOPA protests won't damage Google search rankings

Web sites that go offline or strip out content to protest the antipiracy legislation need not worry that Google will penalize them.
(Posted in Deep Tech by Stephen Shankland)
January 18, 2012 9:27 a.m. PT

Wikipedia, Google black out sites to protest SOPA

Wikipedia has gone offline for 24 hours to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, while Google and Craigslist are also asking users to contact Congress.
• SOPA opponents take their fight to the streets
• How to access Wikipedia during its SOPA blackout
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 17, 2012 9:43 p.m. PT

House to take up SOPA debate again next month

Rep. Lamar Smith says the House will continue to try and enact legislation that protects consumers from "foreign thieves." The fight over SOPA, albeit a watered down version, goes on.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 17 2012 1:01 p.m. PT

Google will protest SOPA using popular home page

The search giant will post an anti-SOPA link on its home page as part of a unified protest planned by the tech sector.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 17 2012 11:33 a.m. PT

Twitter shutting down for SOPA? That's just 'foolish,' CEO says

Wikipedia, however, says that it will be going dark for 24 hours in protest of the Stop Online Privacy Act.
(Posted in The Digital Home by Don Reisinger)
January 17, 2012 7:03 a.m. PT

Wikipedia to join Web blackout protesting SOPA

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales says the English version of the site will shut down for 24 hours on Wednesday to send "a BIG message" to Washington opposing the controversial antipiracy bill.
(Posted in Digital Media by Steven Musil)
January 16, 2012 10:40 a.m. PT

Momentum shift: SOPA, PIPA opponents now in driver's seat

An important vote on SOPA is held up in the House, and support in the Senate appears to be faltering. At the same time, the White House sounds a critical note on the antipiracy bills.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 14, 2012 3:58 p.m. PT

Millions seeing 'Stop SOPA' message on Twitter

A lot of people are fiercely committed to defeating the Stop Online Piracy Act. One way they're expressing their displeasure with the bipartisan bill is adding antilegislation banners to their Twitter profile images.
(Posted in Geek Gestalt by Daniel Terdiman)
January 14, 2012 2:59 p.m. PT

Who is winning SOPA? Read Rupe Murdoch's Twitter feed

Rupert Murdoch takes to Twitter to express frustration over setbacks to antipiracy legislation being debated in Congress. He says Obama takes marching orders from "Silicon Valley paymasters."
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval )
January 15, 2012 5:10 a.m. PT

White House calls for care with SOPA, other antipiracy measures

Obama administration issues statement about stance on Stop Online Piracy Act and other pending antipiracy legislation, saying that while the administration recognizes need for laws that fight online piracy, it's wary of laws that could lead to censorship, cybersecurity problems, a quashing of innovation, and other issues.
(Posted in Digital Media by Edward Moyer)
January 14, 2012 10:20 a.m. PT

DNS provision pulled from SOPA, victory for opponents

Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the house judiciary committee, says he will remove the provision in SOPA that requires ISPs to block access to foreign Web sites accused of piracy.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval and Declan McCullagh)
January 13, 2012 1:27 p.m. PT

SOPA foes warn: Not much time left to act

If you want to head off looming votes on the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate's Protect IP Act, act now, congressional foes of the proposals say.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 11, 2012 5:05 p.m. PT

Paul Ryan turns against SOPA following a Reddit-based attack

GOP Rep. Paul Ryan never sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act. But the crowd at Reddit.com targeted him anyway -- and embraced a Democratic challenger.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 9, 2012 11:16 a.m. PT

Al Gore slams SOPA in now-deleted YouTube video

In a video since removed from YouTube, Gore said that "anything that would serve to threaten the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet in the future, I'm against."
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 6, 2012 12:33 p.m. PT

Is Grover Norquist breaking up with SOPA?

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist endorsed the Stop Online Piracy Act last month. Now the high-profile conservative group is expressing concerns about how SOPA would affect free speech and innovation.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
January 5, 2012 4:28 p.m. PT

The new politics of Silicon Valley: Revenge of the nerds

commentary A new generation of technology freedom fighters is emerging to fight lopsided legislation including SOPA and Protect IP. Win or lose, the real question is whether they can create something that will last beyond just one issue.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Larry Downes)
January 5, 2012 11:42 a.m. PT

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SOPA opponents may go nuclear and other 2012 predictions

When Google, Amazon.com, Facebook, and eBay turn their Web sites black to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, you'll know they've become serious. It may actually happen. Plus: four other 2012 predictions.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 29, 2011 4:00 a.m. PT

Go Daddy accused of interfering with anti-SOPA exodus

A rival accuses it of monkeywrenching would-be boycotters; the registrar denies wrongdoing. For some reason, though, Go Daddy still doesn't formally oppose SOPA.
• Go Daddy gets name off SOPA supporters list
• Go Daddy bows to boycott, now 'opposes' SOPA copyright bill
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 26, 2011 4:46 p.m. PT

21,000 domains transfer out of Go Daddy in 1 day

It could be a coincidence or it could a collective cold shoulder for Go Daddy for its SOPA support--though the company has reversed course.
(Posted in Digital Media by Natalie Weinstein)
December 24, 2011 3:25 p.m. PT

Go Daddy spanks SOPA, yanks support

Facing increasing pressure for its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act, domain registrar Go Daddy said that it's no longer supporting the bill.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Josh Lowensohn)
December 23, 2011 11:39 a.m. PT

Pro-copyright group takes SOPA to task

When defending intellectual property rights, the influential Heritage Foundation often sounds like it's channeling Hollywood lobbyists. But not when it comes to the Stop Online Piracy Act.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 21, 2011 9:41 p.m. PT

How SOPA's 'circumvention' ban could put a target on Tor

Hollywood-backed Stop Online Piracy Act goes further than earlier versions and targets software that can "bypass" or "circumvent" anti-piracy blocks. The Tor Project worries it could be at risk.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 21, 2011 12:24 p.m. PT

New 'Firewall' song protests SOPA copyright bill

Q&A The songwriter behind the 2007 Internet hit "I Got a Crush on Obama" is now taking aim at SOPA in a new music video titled "Firewall."
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 20, 2011 5:12 p.m. PT

SOPA vote: Well, there's always next year

What supporters of SOPA had hoped would be speedy committee approval took a porn-and-Twitter detour through dozens of amendments. The result: A reprieve for Internet companies.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 16, 2011 2:15 p.m. PT

Vint Cerf: SOPA means 'unprecedented censorship' of the Web

Vint Cerf, the legendary computer scientist known as one of the fathers of the Internet, warns Rep. Lamar Smith that his bill will be ineffective and dangerous.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 15, 2011 10:37 p.m. PT

SOPA attracts plenty of supporters during House debate

Controversial Hollywood-backed copyright bill is embraced by majority of a House of Representatives committee. A vote may happen tomorrow.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 15, 2011 10:05 p.m. PT

SOPA votes derailed by politician's 'offensive' tweet

Marathon debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act was derailed not by free speech concerns with the bill, but rather a Twitter post that accused Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of being boring.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 15, 2011 3:35 p.m. PT

Brin says SOPA puts U.S. on par with oppressive nations

The Google co-founder posts a note on Google+ blasting the controversial anti-piracy legislation, saying it won't accomplish its goals and will limit free speech.
(Posted in Digital Media by Jay Greene)
December 15, 2011 10:26 AM PST

Meet SOPA author Lamar Smith, Hollywood's favorite Republican

When large content holders want to rewrite copyright law, or enact legislation like the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, they give House Judiciary chairman Lamar Smith a call.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 15, 2011 4:00 a.m. PT

SOPA backers: It's needed to take down The Pirate Bay

An alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act called the OPEN Act wouldn't block overseas Web sites such as The Pirate Bay and would be ineffective in curbing piracy, SOPA's supporters are warning.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 14, 2011 12:49 p.m. PT

Rep. Issa: SOPA won't be approved unless fixed

GOP committee chairman says Stop Online Piracy Act hands the attorney general far too much power and will be too "controversial" for Republican leaders to send to the House floor for a vote.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 14, 2011 4:00 a.m. PT

New version of SOPA copyright bill, old complaints

Rep. Lamar Smith releases SOPA v2.0 before a planned committee vote on Thursday. Still included is a controversial section allowing for the blocking of suspected pirate Web sites and deep packet inspection.
• SOPA foes marshal opposition before House panel vote
• Silicon Valley execs blast SOPA in open letter
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 12, 2011 11:10 p.m. PT

Lawmakers unveil sensible alternative to SOPA

commentary Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Darrell Issa's draft of the OPEN Act is a welcome relief to other pending legislation that would do dramatic harm to the digital economy.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Larry Downes)
December 8, 2011 3:55 p.m. PT

Critics of SOPA copyright bill ready counterattack

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) are planning a less-Draconian alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act on Thursday, CNET has learned.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
December 6, 2011 11:52 p.m. PT

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Surprise! Microsoft quietly opposes SOPA copyright bill

Microsoft applauded a Senate bill that aimed to delete "rogue Web sites" from the Internet. But it's drawn the line at the broader Stop Online Piracy Act.
• Kaspersky dumps trade group over SOPA
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 22, 2011 9:23 p.m. PT

SOPA's latest threat: IP blocking, privacy-busting packet inspection

A little-noticed section of the Stop Online Piracy Act could require deep-packet inspection and blocking IP addresses of copyright-infringing Web sites, a significant change from earlier versions.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 18, 2011 3:56 p.m. PT

Tumblr users fight SOPA with 87,834 calls to Congress

The company says that the average call to representatives about the bill was 53 seconds long, but the longest lasted 31 minutes, according to data it compiled.
(Posted in The Digital Home by Don Resinger)
November 18, 2011 9:27 a.m. PT

OpenDNS: SOPA will be 'extremely disruptive' to the Internet

David Ulevitch, whose company claims over 30 million people using its domain name services, trekked to D.C. to oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act. He left disappointed.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 17, 2011 11:51 p.m. PT

Sandia Labs: SOPA will 'negatively impact' U.S. cybersecurity

The Stop Online Piracy Act is "unlikely to be effective," says official from Sandia National Laboratories, part of the U.S. Department of Energy.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 17, 2011 2:03 p.m. PT

ZDNet: SOPA: Why the 'broken Web' should stay broken

The Web may not be perfect, but SOPA is a reactionary bill to a broken copyright system. One thought alone: The "broken Web" is ironically what makes it work.
(Posted in Between the Lines by Zack Whittaker)
November 17, 2011, 3:43 a.m. PT

New flap over SOPA copyright bill: Anti-Web security?

Republican head of House cybersecurity panel warns that Stop Online Piracy Act could imperil efforts to make domain names more secure.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 16, 2011 1:25 p.m. PT

ZDNet: SOPA, pols run into Internet buzz saw

The Stop Online Piracy Act raises a ruckus as the Internet wakes up to realize that this nutty copyright bill could actually pass.
(Posted in Between the Lines by Larry Dignan)
November 16, 2011, 10:15 a.m. PT

SOPA bill won't make U.S. a 'repressive regime,' Democrat says

A last-minute campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act may be working. It certainly has the bill's backers on the defensive at today's hearing before a House committee.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 16, 2011 8:14 a.m. PT

Hollywood's SOPA testimony links job loss to piracy

MPAA executive who is testifying today in support of the copyright bill says that piracy kills jobs--not just for the super-rich Hollywood actors, but people who sell paint and do the dry cleaning for movie and TV productions.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
November 16, 2011 7:34 a.m. PT

Copyright Office will endorse SOPA antipiracy bill

The U.S. Copyright Office plans to endorse the controversial Hollywood-backed bill called the Stop Online Piracy Act.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 15, 2011 6:53 a.m. PT

Google, Facebook, Zynga oppose new SOPA copyright bill

In advance of the first House of Representatives hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act, opponents of the measure gain new allies in Google, Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, and other Web companies.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
November 15, 2011 9:44 a.m. PT

Warner Bros. denies abusing DMCA in Hotfile case

Hotfile's allegations that the film studio filed false takedown requests sound outrageous, but the problem is they don't hold up.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
November 14, 2011 4:00 a.m. PT

RIAA chief: Copyright bills won't kill the Internet

guest column Cary Sherman argues that legislation targeting "rogue Web sites" would make the Web safer for content creators, without wide-ranging ripple effects or collateral damage.
(Posted in Digital Media by Cary Sherman)
November 8, 2011 6:13

SOPA: Hollywood's latest effort to turn back time

commentary The bill introduced last week in the House is nothing short of a regulatory coup by Hollywood. It's the latest in a series of increasingly desperate efforts to put the Internet genie back in the bottle.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Larry Downes)
November 1, 2011 10:02 a.m. PT

U.S. government also a villain in piracy act story

The MPAA has presented the U.S. House of Representatives with a custom-crafted bill designed to put the Internet fully under the control of the industries it represents. And our government has aided and abetted along the way for years. Time for a revolution?
(Posted in Molly Rants by Molly Wood)
October 31, 2011 10:58 p.m. PT

Rep. Lofgren: Copyright bill is the 'end of the Internet'

Democratic congresswoman from Silicon Valley, who will likely lead congressional opposition to Stop Online Piracy Act, warns that the bill if passed would mean an end to the Internet as we know it.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
October 27, 2011 11:25 a.m. PT