New Version of PROTECT IP Bill May Target Legal Sites

angry tapir writes "An upcoming version [PDF] of U.S. legislation designed to combat copyright infringement on the Web may include provisions that hold online services such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube legally responsible for infringing material posted by users, according to one group opposed to the bill. 'If Demand Progress is correct about the House version of PROTECT IP, the bill would overturn parts of the 13-year-old Digital Millennium Copyright Act that protect websites and ISPs from copyright lawsuits for the infringing activity of their users.'"

Good

[TheRaven64]

Let the RIAA and MPAA start suing Google and then we might see some real reform...

This one at least has a chance of not passing

[dkleinsc]

The tech companies such as Google will probably be against it, so they'll be at least some campaign cash to be had by voting Nay. Up until now, it had always been a matter of corporations with cash versus citizens without cash.

Re:Please explain this.

[bmo]

The time to complain is before the bill is introduced. Once the ball is rolling and it's been introduced and through committee and on the floor, it will be passed by every senate member who has been bought.

That is all of them.

Attacking the messenger does nothing.

--
BMO

Re:Good

[Baloroth]

Lots of people use youtube. Google could get massive numbers of people hopping mad at the MAFIAA if they spin it right. Also, Google is bigger and has a lot more money and internet control than the music industry. They could do it. Remains to be seen if they will.

Corporations getting the laws they paid for

[Quila]

The DMCA was almost entirely bought by the MAFIAA and so served their interests. The major exception was that the ISPs fought to have safe harbor included to protect their interests. Now the MAFIAA is going for round two, trying to eliminate the major part of the DMCA that didn't get written to their liking.

Next up: The triennial exemption rule. They're tired of fighting exemptions every three years, so this won't last long.

Notice nothing in this has a "for the people" ring to it.

Re:Good

[Fned]

Google's annual profit is bigger than the recording industry's entire revenue

RIAA: Lawsuit time, fuckers!
Google: I crap bigger than you.

Re:No way this is going to pass.

[Fned]

Google and Facebook are, no doubt, going to send mountains of lawyers to stop this one.

Why should they? They're far too large to attack, even if the law is against them. They could just sit back and let the Content Middleman Industry destroy after any newer, smaller competitors that happen to pop up, while sitting safe and secure behind their nuclear arsenal of lawyers...