(I previously posted this on Facebook in a note. But it bears repeating.)
There’s an online organization out there fighting the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), calling it *gasp* CENSORSHIP! They are out of their minds: the act in no way infringes anyone’s ability to say anything. It DOES infringe on the ability of PIRATES to make money from advertising on their sites filled with stolen COPYRIGHTED material! SUPPORT THIS BILL!!! IT IS A GOOD THING FOR ALL CREATIVE PEOPLE!
One of the things the bill would do is levvy fines against advertisers who buy ad space on sites that host STOLEN/PIRATED copyrighted material (streaming copyrighted movies, torrent comic book sites, etc.). Because just going after the site owners for copyright infringement has not stopped the practice. The pirates Do. Not. Care. what the actual content of their sites is. They only care that it’s something that a lot of people want “for free”, without bothering to pay the creators/copyright owners a penny. Because NOT ONE CENT of the money these site owners make from the advertising slots goes into the pockets of the creators.
I have see idiotic comments at various sites about how artists should be THANKFUL that their work is getting such a wide audience because of the pirates. But DON’T DELUDE YOURSELF — those artists are NOT getting one red cent out of it. Think of all the hours they spent creating these works of art (be it film, music or comics). TIME IS MONEY! They have every RIGHT to expect to make some money back from the commercialization of their work. They don’t live on air, after all! They have groceries to buy, rent to pay, health insurance to cover (if they can get it), cars to gas up — just like everyone else. Think about how much money YOU spend on these daily things, and remember that the musician, the writer, the filmmaker, the comic book creator, those folks have the same expenses, and creating the works you enjoy is THEIR DAY-JOB! NOT a “hobby”, not a “side line”. The creation of these works is their PROFESSIONAL activity. They deserve to be paid for it.
But there are some dink-heads out there that believe that actually paying people for their copyrights is somehow an infringement of free-speech. WHOSE “free-speech”? Anyone who posts copyrighted material WITHOUT permission (or paying the copyright owner) is NOT posting their OWN speech! They’re posting SOMEONE ELSE’S — without verifying that the actual owner of that “speech” WANTS the material put forward that way. Are you getting it yet? NOT THEIR OWN SPEECH! AND THEY’RE NOT PAYING FOR IT! But they sure are making money off it, you betcha!
PLEASE: SUPPORT Sen. Leahy and his co-horts on this Bill. This is a GOOD THING, and we need it.
Independant filmmakers lose thousands of dollars they expected to make back on the cost of their films, money they have every RIGHT to earn: when their pirated film gets downloaded by many many people, the filmmaker does not make one cent. And once some person who is careless about illegal downloads has a copy of this wonderful independant film, do you REALLY think they will spend the money to own a legitimate copy from legal sources (where the filmmaker will make a few cents for every dollar he spent making the film)? It won’t happen. The same with comic books: pirate downloads do NOT lead to legit sales for the writers and artists.
I’ll stop ranting now. I hope I’ve made my point. Do not be decieved by those who are crying out that this is CENSORSHIP! It’s no such thing!
