Posted by Dinah on January 18, 2012, at 19:10:52
In reply to Can someone explain what this means?, posted by rjlockhart04-08 on January 17, 2012, at 23:29:33
It's designed to stop foreign bootlegs, including counterfeit drugs I think. The bill sponsors think it is important to stop the infringement on individual's property rights. A worthy goal, certainly.
However, the White House (not to mention Wikipedia, Google, et al) think that the bill is too vague and goes too far. Since individuals can contribute content to Wikipedia, they say it's impossible to police all links, etc. They say the law can shut down their operations for providing links to foreign bootleg sellers. Bill sponsors say that isn't what is intended, and some lawmakers are asking that the vote be delayed while they look into the legal ramifications. They also object to the limitations on free expression of contributors. They feel the existing laws are sufficient to the purpose.
At least that's my understanding of the two sides. I could be wrong.
poster:Dinah
thread:1007634
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20111226/msgs/1007706.html