A question I have been asking myself lately is, will SOPA effect small business websites? Now I don’t know the ins and outs on a detailed level, but I do know that piracy on the internet is a real problem. Also, that over legislation is not the answer. And I was thinking that whatever happened would not effect me in my little part of the world.
How wrong I was.
As if it was planned, as the timing could not be better, only 100kms ( 60 miles) away from my home the masterminds of Megadownloads.com had been lurking. In a swoop the police force of my country had been working with the FBI and those involved are now before the courts. It looks like the current laws may be working (?)
So, would a new law in the US effect those in other countries…. well yes….At least in those countries with agreements with the US. So will SOPA effect small business websites globally? Yes! So we all must take an interest in what’s happening stateside. This snippet gives an opinion on the effect on small business
The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, would expand the ability to fight online trafficking of copyrighted intellectual property. The Protect Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA, is another measure whose goal is to increase government power to curb access to websites that do not comply with standards. The problem of stealing intellectual property and protecting property on the internet is important in our free markets. Censorship, increased government intervention and interference in our most important growth industry today, technology, would be a disaster. SOPA would make it impossible to advertise or conduct business with any website that infringes on the bill’s guidelines. Additionally, SOPA could make it possible to ban internet service providers from hosting websites that do not comply. The goal of protecting property rights from theft needs to be accomplished with different moves from Washington. Enforcing the current existing laws nationally and globally would be the right path. Keeping the SOPA bill how it currently exists would increase government bureaucracy without having the desired effect. Legislation without enforcement is not the answer.
The internet has been the great equalizer for entrepreneurs. Small startups can compete with big players on the internet. Government bureaucracy and intervention in the online community would be disastrous not only for small business, but also for the community at large. With such strict guidelines and harsh penalties, creativity would be stifled. Individuals may start to fear that any move they make on the internet may be infringing on someone else’s intellectual property, and therefore not participate. Start-up growth would also be hindered. It would take much more time to get websites up and running. Perhaps, most importantly, freedom of information would be destroyed. Last week, to display just how drastic the results of SOPA would be, websites like Wikipedia went dark. In protest, for 24 hours, Wikipedia essentially turned itself off and users could not access any free information on the site. This is what would happen to numerous websites if SOPA is passed.
The White House agrees that the SOPA bill is a little too extreme and does not currently “support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.” While the issue of stealing intellectual property is a serious one, there need to be better alternatives to solving the problem. Alternatives that would not infringe on freedom of information, start-up growth or creativity and alternatives that would not put small businesses at a disadvantage
Will SOPA effect small business websites? Yes!
Could it effect your website? Yes!
Could it effect the websites of your suppliers? Yes!
So we all must take notice and apply whatever pressure to those in power that we consider appropriate.
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