I can’t really say this much better than Paul Myers can. I will say, as one of those technical geeks… Yes. It really is that bad. It really is that catastrophic.
And here’s the thing. I am a person who makes a living selling intellectual property, and you know what? It’s not helping us, and we don’t need help. The idea that we need better tools to prevent people from ripping us off? Stupid.
The purpose of copyright is not that it’s some kind of God-given absolute moral right to control what other people do with your ideas. It’s to give good enough tools to let you make a living. That’s why we even have the concept of fair use, and it’s why the system originally had copyright terms expire.
And the reality is… Even with all the “piracy” going on, we’re still making money selling books and music. Indeed, for those of us who aren’t in the top ten lists, we’re making more money, because more people have heard of our stuff and end up deciding to buy it.
Look at Louis CK making a million bucks without worrying about piracy. (He made at least a million bucks on it, much of which he then gave away.) The fact is, people in general are pretty willing to pay for stuff if they like it and have the money.
If SOPA were a good idea, it would be a better idea to ban libraries. It’s not. We do not need more control; we need to learn to live without absolute control, because absolute control is not a good way for humans to live. And while people like to think about the control they have over others, the fact is, everyone else outnumbers you; under a regime like this, you’d be controlled more than you’d be in control.
Thinking of commenting? Remember that, in a SOPA world, if I allow comments and any of you ever think of mentioning warez, my blog is taken offline and probably doesn’t come back.