As a technology professional organization having a number of members who create content for the web, earn a living from it, and have had their content pirated, we do feel that we need better legislation against online piracy.
We do not, however, think that SOPA or PIPA are the legislation we need.
It’s important to remember that both the supporters and opposers of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) /PIPA ( PROTECT-IP Act) have legitimate concerns. This should not be a fight but rather a cooperative discussion to find a solution. Whichever side you’re on, please encourage a conversation that will move us towards change that is good for everyone rather than extreme measures that won’t help anyone.
We will also take this opportunity to educate our membership and our technology community by posting vetted links relating to the content of these bills, for and against, and hope to foster real discussion on the issues.
Here are some links for discussion and educational purposes:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/podcasts/interactive/podcasts/radioberkman188
https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
http://lifehacker.com/5860205/all-about-sopa-the-bill-thats-going-to-cripple-your-internet
http://wordpress.org/
http://americancensorship.org/
http://sopablackout.org/learnmore/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/248298/sopa_and_pipa_just_the_facts.html