Due to a request from my wife, I've taken down my post. She feels that it only serves as fodder for rampant litigiousness, and that while my goals are harmless in nature, they allow for undue persecution. Alas, I do not want to become a martyr, and I once again want to express that I do not condone piracy of intellectual property.

I honestly didn't think this many people would read such a long post. ;) I've since edited and resubmitted the original post here: http://www.reddit.com/r/SOPA/comments/pq8ra/this_is_why_i_oppose_the_mpaa/

Thank you all for your support and kind words.

Cheers!

That is all.

Edit: Thanks everyone for the feedback and for contacting your local media. We've gotten some inquiries toward us that referenced contact from a local viewer/reader/etc., so people are at least getting interested. Keep it up!

Inspired by this recent post "I work in news and this is how you stop SOPA", we are doing everything we can to contact both local and national media to raise awareness of SOPA. We are reaching out to the media contacts we have and are already having some small success, but we need your help.

Now that the committee vote has been delayed until January, we are focusing on local press. It's absolutely critical that we raise awareness of SOPA/PIPA and the devastating impact they would have on all manner of small businesses that rely on the internet to sell and market their goods and services. Here are some things that would help our efforts:

• Legal and technology experts who could talk about the impact of SOPA to media, especially to local press.

• Small business owners who would be negatively impacted by SOPA (almost anyone selling anything online, or reliant on online advertising). We're specifically looking for people who've made money online with an etsy store, or a successful kickstarter, etc.

• Contacting local press directly. Here is a short blurb text that you can customize:

The internet is THE job creation platform of the 21st century because it allows local small businesses and entrepreneurs to efficiently sell their goods and services across the globe. Two bills now pending in Congress—the PROTECT IP Act of 2011 (Protect IP) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House threaten to undermine that platform by denying business owners that use the internet the right to due process of law.

Unfortunately, most people and small business owners are not even aware of SOPA & PIPA, much less the threat they pose. These days the internet impacts just about every business, and it's important that local business owners learn more about how Congress may further regulate the internet.

Here is an open letter from prominent tech entrepreneurs, including the founders of google, Twitter, Youtube, Huffington Post, Craigslist, Yahoo!, paypal, and eBay: http://dq99alanzv66m.cloudfront.net/sopa/img/12-14-letter.pdf

Adam Savage from Mythbusters explains how SOPA could destroy the internet as we know it: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/mythbusters/articles/mythbuster-adam-savage-sopa-could-destroy-the-internet-as-we-know-it-6620300

Please help inform your audience about how Congress is attempting to regulate the internet.

If you have info on any of these or fit the description and are willing to talk to press, please email [email protected].

If you contact local or national press and would like our team to also follow up with them, please cc

[email protected]

Thanks for your help!

Stopped they must be. On this all depends.

I would ask for americans to help fight ACTA as myself and many other Europeans helped with SOPA/PIPA.

EDIT:ACTA is actually global.ACTA being European was a false impresion due to the lack of attention towards it.This might actually be worst then SOPA and PIPA.

Now that the main threat is dealt with,let's try and focus on ACTA please?

LINKS:

/r/ACTA

http://youranonnews.tumblr.com/post/16257654698/acta-in-a-nutshell-what-is-acta-acta-is-the

http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/How_to_act_against_ACTA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement

https://twitter.com/#!/search/acta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=citzRjwk-sQ

Feel free to suggest any links that should be here.

EDIT:Added more links. EDIT2:I'm glad that I attracted some attention to this,I suggest people look at /r/ACTA too,as some people pointed out that ACTA will directly affect America as well.

TL;DR: DMCA(&others) want to impose internet comunism which will affect America or Europe no matter where the bill is created.Go and stop ACTA too and any other such bill,no matter where it is conceived.

I am only one person. but if SOPA passes I will never go to another movie again, I will never rent another movie again, I will never buy another CD and I will boycott any company which supported this bill...

Note: I noticed in a lot of replies people use the term "pirating" to refer to sharing. Please don't use this term. This is a propaganda term that the industry uses to demonize sharing. Please use the terms sharing or if you are on the fence unauthorized copying. The language you use sends a message and sharing is a good thing to do. Sorry for the rant but I think these kinds of details are important.

EDIT: Unfortunately I am at work. is anyone watching the House session that could keep us updated with whats going on?

It has begun!! http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/12/takedowns-and-lawsuits-have-already-started-fight-against-sopa/46242/

Article Here is the rundown of what happened yesterday: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57344021-281/sopa-attracts-plenty-of-supporters-during-house-debate/

I hope everyone is in for the long haul on this one. We are putting on good pressure we just need to keep it up.