Minecraft going dark January 18 in SOPA protest

@moc5 Thank you, moc5, I appreciate that. I encourage you to keep informed and tell any friends that you have that you believe would be willing to help. SOPA/PIPA hearings have been recently delayed in the House, thanks to the tremendous online effort this past January 18, not to mention the protest held in Times Square on the same day. I hope you will contribute (or continue to contribute, if you already have) to the fight against this bill in the future. Keep updated. It's up to the entire online community to make sure these bills never see the light of day.

@GBASWFan You realise that it effects spoofs, abridged series, game walkthroughs, gameplay videos, and a large majority of ways to find out knowledge for free, right? I don't think you, or the major Hollywood companies, realise how much the modern 'word of mouth' on the internet accounts for revenue. People tend to link to a song or such which then makes you interested in the band, which, even if you do download their album free, results in the purchase of merchandise, gig tickets, and more word of mouth advertising. Effectively Mod's for games would effectively be illegal to download too, as the software would have to be legally authorised by the game company, ruining creativity. The problem with the acts is that it wouldnt only take down sites like Pirate Bay, it would take down sites that link to Pirate Bay, causing the site owner to have to pay for the court settlement. Now on some sites this wouldnt matter, but lets take social networking sites. Facebook has over 800million active users, with over 400million online a day. Now, lets assume an eighth of those link to something a day, and then a quarter of them link to something with copyrighted content. That is still 12.5million links to offending sites, with Facebook having to pay court fees for all of them. Even for Facebook, that will be alot of money.

@renegade magnum You have given the most intelligent and informed argument that I have yet to read on the internet about this bill. Well said and you are exactly right. Thanks for sharing it.

@GBASWFan You're question as to "If you made something, and someone stole it, would you be mad?" is nothing compared to this question. "If you DIDN'T steal anything, and someone just claimed you did, and the government shut you down with no evidence to these claims, and you not only cannot sue them, but even if you defend yourself in court and win you have to pay your own legal fees, WOULDN'T YOU BE MAD?" SOPA doesn't protect IP owners, it makes them omnipotent and invulnerable. Did you even check what grounds an IP holder has to invoke the power of SOPA? If I had a blog that had an ad that was linked to another site that was declared a rogue site by someone, my own site could be taken down. That's how much power SOPA gives these companies. In a more practical equivalent, it's like giving someone the power to say you stole your car, and the government takes it away. No evidence. No investigation. No warning. No due process. If you go to court, you can't sue the guy who wrongfully accused you. Even if you manage to get your car back in a court trial (and imagine that, you HAVE TO PROVE IT WASN'T STOLEN INSTEAD OF THE STATE HAVING TO PROVE IT WAS---whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?), you'd still have to pay your own legal fees. SOPA is exactly that. Fight for what's right? Get real.

@GBASWFan I suggest you read the bill. In no possible way can a person with reasonable knowledge in legal parlance say that this bill is beneficial to anyone except big business. The bill does not protect IP holders, it gives them the power to simply shut down any site that they ACCUSE of copyright infringement, or any site that even simply LINKS to a site with SUPPOSED copyright infringement. There is no mention of due process, no need for evidence, no need for a court trial. The bill gives companies cart blanche in deciding what should and should not be taken down. You may be for SOPA, but it isn't because you're standing for what's right. It's because you're ignorant as to what SOPA actually does. Sites do not even have to actually HOST copyrighted material to be taken down by SOPA. This bill in no way shape or form stops piracy. It gives companies the power to decide what you should and should not see. Want to stand for what's right? Ever heard of due process? Freedom of speech? How about accountability? Responsibility? SOPA makes companies that have sites taken down immmune to countersuit. Read on UMG vs. Megaupload, and see what SOPA can do if put into effect.

It's interesting to note that quite a few members of the ESA are against it.

how much tax revenue does google create from their videos with advertising on youtube? im guessing a hell of a lot. and...they want to stop this......when they are in how much dept?

I threw SOPA on the ground...I ain't gonna be part of the system

If this "Act" passes........things are gonna get ugly................

@carlosy2jericho obama may have ICED it. it is on the shelf meaning it can come back to life soon. romney has endorsed and loves SOPA and PIPA so if he is elected, he could look at it, fast track it, and then well... you know the rest. if this does not get gamers to begin to look at what is going on, i do not know what will.

SOPA wont pass. White House kind of shot it down so its been kind of shelved, it will resurge later. Meanwhile PIPA is still very much alive, and its just as bad a SOPA. The battle might be won, but the war is not over.

i used to play minecraft but then i took a arrow to the knee

5 years from now if SOPA passes. Kid 1: Wanna watch a YouTube Video? Kid 2: No thanks, ive seen EVERY video on YouTube. Kid 1: Wow, so youve watched all 27 videos!?

I love how every comment I made has been severely disliked. I truley wish there were more mature people posting, not retarted 12 year olds. They talk about censorship. If you made something, and someone stole it, would you be mad? You would want every dollar you deserve. With this bill, the credit goes where credit is due. The government isnt going to go on a rampage and shut EVERYTHING down. Just the pirate bay and related sites. Everyone is so used to stealing content, they are mad now that someone is doing something about it. You may be against me, but I will stand for what is right no matter how many oppose.

Hitler reacts to SOPA- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvXo4sGB7zM

hahaha i love the thumbs down i got.... this is actually economic reality people... dont misunderstand, i'm not saying the EPA is doing the best job that they could; HOWEVER, the concept of the EPA cannot be regarded as bad... even though US gov is too effed up to institute environmental protection properly does not make the concept of environmental protection bad regulation is theoretically a great thing when used correctly, for example banning anything like SOPA due to its enfringment on our free speech, this would be a form or regulation.. it is the US govs fault for being too selfish and corrupt to institute correct regulation, NOT regulations fault for being fundamentally wrong imagine a world where corporations were given free reign to do WHATEVER they wanted to get an extra buck in proffit... this is the world without regulation... the problem with us is that regulators are corrupt and dont regulate properly, NOT that regulation is bad

@maxwell97 i am so glad that you have responded to my comment :D i am a bit of a lame person, and unfortunately I really enjoy economic discussion, and am absolutly ecstatic that you not only responded, but responded in a rational and intellectual fashion. however, i would like to respond to an issue you mentioned. it was actually the lack of government regulation in the american financial sector which allowed investment banks to conduct themselves as they did (bundling debt and selling it as 'mortgage backed securites') when congress began to buy up the bad loans it was actually for a different reason; ben bernanke put it best: when a fire errupts at a house in a wooden city, one must do everything possible to contain the fire before it spreads..... this was the reason for the bailouts and the government purchase of all the bad debt, and in the circumstances was a very prudent move, as when banks begin to go bankrupt there can be a chain reaction which could realistically bring the entire economy down the regulation i am referring to is the kind that would have prevented the whole crisis in the first place; ie it was deregulation which led to the removal of the glass steagle act which separates public and private banking... when this act was removed banks became able to invest deposited money by selling debt to investment banks, thus allowing investment banks to bundle the debt into securities and enable such a crisis to exist

it was actually deregulation which allowed such things to occur (ie removing the glass steagle act) .. had the government regulated properly then such a crisis could not have occured ( look at canadian banks where such regulation existed, and contributed to our security during the crisis) there has been a us trend over the last 20 years (starting with the reagan administration) which essentially removed government from its role in regulating the economy; HOWEVER, government has a very fundamental role in preventing the kind of market failure the world witnessed in 2008

i do not mean to imply that everything the government does is an example of good regulation (lol look at the POS SOPA); however, there is absolutly a place, a necessity even, for good government regulation especially when avoiding market failure... the question is whether or not the government is capable of providing rational regulation such as with the environment and finacial sector (to prevent companies from destroying our environment, and to prevent bankers from stealing our money), and unfortunately the us government is not. it neglects advice from leading economists and scientists alike and curtails its decision to lobbies; however, this is an institutional issue within the US government, and not an argument against the role of government within markets once again i really appreciate your response to my comment and hope our discussion can continue in a meaningful way :D a happy new year to you, and i hope you the best

if SOPA get through i bet Google will make a new Internet that will be outside of the law... which mean we can all run wild! again...

Screw this Sopa crap. I like my youtube, and forum avatars, and such :P Hope this thing gets shot down.

New Bill called The Enemy Expatriation Act (H.R.3166) http://netrightdaily.com/2012/01/new-bill-in-the-house-threatens-citizenship/ Sign the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/protect-your-rights

All right Notch hit them where it hurts!

Freedom isn't free! It costs folks like you and me! A buck o' 5!

L4D III would never be made. Because, everyone uses zombies now, everything would be in violation.

Everyone that hella_epic states would not be famous without Youtube which is the really funny thing. Guess these people forget where they came from. Also, Minecraft would be so screwed if SOPA passes. It'd go dark forever. Every homage made could be a violation and cause it to be shut down.

Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift support SOPA....LOL if it wasn't for youtube they wouldn't even be popular and well i'm pretty sure kim kardashian thinks SOPA is a new clothing line or something

@GBASWFan even after people have stated so many negative facts bout the SOPA,you still continue to be ignorant and go on supporting it,the bill will completely destroy the use of the internet.

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SOPA is now in effect..Please join the cause.Like this page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Entertainment/123901407721093 The internet cannot be owned by an individual.It is for everyone.Spread the word protest by joining this page

The fact is this... we have no control over whether or not the bill gets passed. And I can see the point of some people. Some people may get blamed accidentally. But there are some who do go to jail for murder they do not commit (unlikely, but I suppose it does happen), but does that mean we should release every murderer. This bill will most likely do more good than bad.

I find it ironic that Justin Bieber supports SOPA, but the way he got popular was singing his favorite songs on Youtube, which will be illegal once SOPA passes. Hypocrite much?

This describes it best Written by: jp32 on: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-17/tech/30404716_1_sopa-internet-freedom-innovators These bills are a classic example of a government bought and paid for by a small set of entrenched, financialized corporations. In this case, the largest music and media corps, who are unable or unwilling to take advantage of new business models, are paying congress to create laws that let them destroy whoever they think acts against their interest, without due process. This, despite the fact that it has been repeatedly demonstrated that people will prefer to purchase their goods if they are offered at reasonable price and convenience -- in those scenarios, "piracy" virtually disappears. The "piracy" they are attempting to legislate against has also been successfully leveraged into increased sales. But, these corporate dinosaurs are not interested in figuring out how to make opportunity out of progress, they want to hold on to their outdated distribution model, and leverage the govt to do so. Meanwhile, in the free market, independent music producers are eating their lunch by taking advantage of new technology. Congressional votes on this bill will be a reliable indicator of whether each congressperson/senator is interested in serving their constituents, or a narrow group of corporations Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-17/tech/30404716_1_sopa-internet-freedom-innovators#ixzz1jamDSxX3

Il bet you 90% of the people for this bill have to call their grand children for advice every time they go to turn on the computer

I will also not use the internet that day!

@GBASWFan In that sense, you are correct. Piracy is bad and should be stopped, but we need to look at this from the other angle as well. If this gets passed, we will be brought back to the dark ages of Internet and gaming. It will hurt business, too.

We need Gandalf. He'll know what to do for sure.

This is awesome. It's good to see companies having the balls to stand up for what is right.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/People-Against-SOPA-and-PIPA/314374648602168 Help us fight against SOPA join the group and spread the word, let's work together to get rid of this bill

America has let me down...... Again.

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@Warful the USA liberal? one of the most conservative countries in the world.

Not a bad way to get a bunch of people to download your game before you take the website down for ______ long. Oh, and to make a stand.

We should get Al Gore to shut down the internet for a day, that'll teach them.

Screw this damn bill. This country represents freedom and that includes the internet damn it. Stupid old hags don't have a clue what they're doing here.

@GBASWFan You really don't get what the SOPA will be able to do in reality. It's all fine and dandy on paper, sure it's supposed to work against copyright infringement, stealing and piracy, BUT practically? It will lead to several stupid(yeah I said stupid) cases where Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and even big games will be put into some risky situations. It could lead to the closing of webpages, accounts, it may even lead to innocent persons being framed and I could keep on going.

Welcome to the start of no Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. and the start of having to pay to use search engines such as google. Basically the internet is ****ing screwed.

@GBASWFan You, sir, are a complete and utter fool.

To add on my previous statement, just because we have free speech, expression, etc., does not mean we have the right to violate the law.