SOPA/PIPA equals bad things

At hackerspaces, we like to share things, we share space, we like to share tools. Most of all, we like to share knowledge and ideas. We like to do things that take something's originally intended purpose and perhaps find a cool new useful or unexpected use for it. Essentially, we take a bunch of ideas or an idea and improve upon it, that's what breeds innovation and progress. To do that you have to share the ideas to begin with. The sharing of ideas with a large audience that has trouble finding each other is what makes the Internet the Internet, its what gives it its allure, its power, its what makes it so revolutionary compared to past forms of communication that were much easier to control and channel through gatekeepers.

That freedom frightens some people, and yes, that freedom is sometimes abused and we do not support people stealing or taking credit for others ideas or creations in order to make profit off of it. However, very large companies are being given direct access to the keys of the Internet with no oversight or due process, they threaten the ability for others to share content, ideas, and do anything that may "infringe" on a companies bottom line. Copyright is to ensure people want to create, it is not there to ensure companies hit their sales projections, it is not there to ensure the old players in the industry continue to maintain dominance, but it is slowly being re-written that way. It also allows US companies effective jurisdiction over a global network, which means stifling creation on a global scale. This will have the opposite effect intellectual property laws were intended to have.



These kind of laws would directly affect hackerspaces and their ability to create and share ideas. In an economy where we hardly make or manufacturer anything anymore, ideas and learning how to make new things are all we have, don't break the one best hope for the economic growth we have left. Below are some links on what you can do to help stop it and ask your legislator to not allow this to happen.
EFF Anti-Blacklist Activism Page

EFF One-Page Guide to SOPA

How SOPA effects educators

Comic about SOPA

Visual Guide to SOPA

What is SOPA blog comments powered by Disqus