As PR practitioners, the Internet is a powerful tool for storytelling, via blogs, newswires, social media sites and more. SOPA and PIPA have the potential to dramatically impact these channels, so we have been carefully monitoring the debate and watching protests unfold.
Content creators at the highest risk of piracy are proponents for the acts, and for good reasons. The music and film industries have struggled with protecting stolen content for years. Illicit content is swapped and traded daily through torrents and other file sharing sites, and industry professionals want websites to be held accountable for stolen content. As Motion Picture Association of America’s Michael O’Leary said in an interview on PBS Newshour, “It’s not just the film producers who are hurt, it is millions of Americans who make their livelihood in the film and television production industry all across the United States.”
Online giants, such as Google, completely support the protection of copyrighted content, but they are opposed to SOPA and PIPA because the acts would hold web advertisers, search engines, Internet service providers and others accountable to restrict any content that has been accused of a copyright infringement, no matter how small or large. Many believe this changes the transparent, organic nature of the Internet. Wikipedia argues that the acts would force “website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites.”
The contentious debate between the supporters and opposition of SOPA and PIPA has been detailed, informative and interesting, and we will continue to follow its progress and keep you posted on the outcome. Marketing Land has a very informative Q&A on SOPA if you would like more information: http://marketingland.com/what-all-marketers-need-to-know-about-sopa-1677