SOPA, PIPA, ACTA

Since you are all using the internet, I'm assuming you've at least heard mention of the two US bills that were threatening to go through congress, SOPA and PIPA, as well as the global bill threatening to pass now, ACTA.  Since there are numerous websites designed to help people understand what these are, I'm not going to add to that list. (To read more on ACTA, you can go here or here)

I download files. I share files. I see nothing wrong with this at all. It seems that the main concern for these proposed bills are the fact that there is a large amount of theft of intellectual property. You hear from top CEO's and executives about how when people download music, movies, and television shows, they are stealing from the artists and these companies. These bills are going to protect these innocent and helpless companies from such terrible, terrible theft.

But, are the people that download really going to start adding to the massive profits these companies are already seeing? Are these people that have been getting unlimited music, movies, and television shows suddenly going to start spending thousands of dollars on these products? The simple answer is no. If you have been getting something for free for years, you're not going to start spending money on it now. I can see that there will be new ways to get around this law before the ink is even dry on the last signature. Would you like to know why? Because people like free things and people are going to want to continue to get free things.

Another problem I have with the claims that these companies make about the massive losses they incur from illegal downloads is the fact that these downloads actually help. It may seem a bit counter-intuitive at first glance, but the more you look at this statement, the more merit it has. I can speak from my own personal experience when it comes to this fact. I have downloaded countless songs, albums, movies, and even a television show or two. I have watched movies and shows streaming. And yet, when I do this, I am actually putting myself in a position to give these companies more money. If I hear about a new band, I don't want to spend the first $10 on an album I might find absolutely terrible. So what do I do? I download it. I then listen to this new artist and decide I really like this band. I then make decide that if this band is going to have any chance of making it in the music industry, I need to support them. I spend money on albums, concerts, clothing. I also promote this band. I may share some of the albums with friends, making them a fan as well! Looking through my spending records from last year alone, I can see that I've spent over $3,500 on albums, concerts, and attire for these bands. If I hadn't had the chance to listen to them for free, that would be $3,500 that the music industry would have never seen.

Finally, are these television and movie studios really losing money when people download their products and watch them? Not necessarily. When I download or stream a show, I'm most likely doing this because it is not available yet in the US. That might seem a bit strange, but I'll clear this up for you... Most of the shows I enjoy are British. The BBC will release them in the UK first, then roughly a season later, it will be allowed to air in the US. For instance, I love the new BBC show "Sherlock." Sherlock only has three episodes per series. This means for the next three episodes, you'll have to wait a year. Now, in the UK, "Sherlock" was released almost a month ago. It will not be aired in the US for several more months. So I decided that I would download it and watch it. Does this mean I wont watch it when it finally does air here? No, I'll watch it. I love the show and the story line. But I do not like having to wait many months for the new series when it is readily available elsewhere. The same goes for other shows I love, "Doctor Who", "Merlin", and "Skins". All of these shows are released early in the UK and those fans in the US must wait. Most fans will still watch them when they air here, but that does not mean we like being left out and forced to wait when they have them all ready to air!


These bills are going to censor the internet. They are going to greatly diminish the knowledge we all have and have grown accustomed to. Not only are many sites we use everyday going to be forced to shut down, but they are creating these bills for completely bogus reasons. And, you should be afraid of what happens next. If letting someone use something for free, even when you own it legally, is going to be illegal, beware of what could happen next. Don't be surprised if used CD-, movie-, and book-stores are all forced to shut down. Don't be surprised to see libraries all being forced to shut their doors.