Topic: Sopa

Representative Dutch Ruppersberger reintroduces the CISPA bill, using the Sony Pictures hack as a primary justification for increased "cyber sharing." The hosts argue that the bill is a move to allow the government access to corporate back-ends under the guise of protection. They remain skeptical of the FBI and NSA's technical expertise in attributing the Sony attack to North Korea.

WikiLeaks releases a chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) focused on intellectual property and internet freedoms. The hosts argue this is a "red herring" designed to distract activists with copyright debates while more significant energy and trade deals remain secret. They discuss the history of copyright terms and the influence of the Disney corporation on legislation.

The death of internet activist Aaron Swartz is discussed, focusing on a reporting error by NPR's Steve Henn. The hosts highlight how the reporter mistakenly referred to SOPA as the "Online Privacy Act" instead of the "Stop Online Piracy Act," suggesting the slip-of-the-tongue reveals the government's true intentions regarding internet freedom.

The hosts critique the funding of political blogs and the lifestyle of their journalists. They play a clip of Politico writer Eliza Krigman discussing new leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Krigman notes that the "ghost of the SOPA-PIPA revolt" continues to make Congress wary of enacting new technology laws.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano addresses a National Journal symposium regarding a pending executive order on cybersecurity. The discussion focuses on the administration's intent to bypass Congress to implement information-sharing and liability protections for corporations, while expanding the definition of national security to include intellectual property theft.

The hosts discuss the failure of SOPA and PIPA legislation following a massive internet-based protest. They play a clip of the Utah Attorney General complaining about the "lies" that killed the bills. Curry argues the traditional music industry is dead and critiques modern pop stars like P. Diddy and Rihanna for using "Illuminati" and "Monarch" symbolism to program children.

The episode concludes with a lengthy clip of Chris Dodd, head of the MPAA, discussing the future of anti-piracy legislation. Dodd defends the economic importance of the film industry and calls for cooperation between the tech and content communities to protect intellectual property in the 21st century.

The pharmaceutical industry faces a significant "patent cliff" in 2012 as major drugs like Lipitor lose patent protection. The hosts argue that the industry's heavy lobbying for SOPA was primarily aimed at shutting down international generic drug competition rather than protecting digital media.

The legal troubles of MegaUpload and the withdrawal of attorney Robert Bennett are discussed. The hosts argue that the focus on SOPA and PIPA was a distraction from the "OPEN Act" and technical changes to the DNS system (DNSSEC). They suggest that the true power to censor the internet lies in the technical infrastructure managed by ICANN rather than legislative bills.

Former Senator and current MPAA head Chris Dodd is criticized for publicly threatening politicians who withdrew support for SOPA/PIPA. Dodd's comments are interpreted as an open admission of the "bribe-and-pay" nature of Hollywood campaign contributions. The hosts argue that the Megaupload bust was timed to provide a real-world justification for the anti-piracy legislation.

Anish Chopra, the White House Chief Technology Officer, avoids answering whether President Obama would veto the SOPA or PIPA legislation. In an interview on Bloomberg West, Chopra emphasizes the administration's goal of reducing piracy through voluntary industry standards rather than committing to a specific legislative veto. The hosts characterize the response as a political filibuster.

An examination of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), and Representative Darrell Issa's Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act. While SOPA and PIPA are criticized for their punitive measures regarding the Domain Name System (DNS), the OPEN Act is viewed as a more traditional approach to copyright disputes. The analysis suggests that the OPEN Act requires a bond for those filing complaints to prevent frivolous litigation.

Adam Curry presents his research on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). He argues that PIPA is 75% identical to SOPA and that both bills focus on punitive measures—such as DNS blocking and cutting off payment systems—rather than creating new laws. He references the 1946 Lanham Act to explain how these bills leverage existing trademark and copyright law.

Dvorak discusses the concept of a "national internet," similar to models proposed in Belarus, where outside traffic is restricted. He suggests that legislation like SOPA could lead to a nationalized US internet under the guise of security, while hackers and tech-savvy users would be forced to use VPNs to bypass government walls.

Rumors of a massive internet blackout on January 23rd to protest SOPA are dismissed by the hosts as a "meme" with no basis in reality. They argue that companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon have fiduciary duties to shareholders that would prevent them from ever shutting down their services voluntarily.

The hosts suggest that SOPA is a "red herring" designed to distract from the Protect IP Act (S-968) in the Senate. They read a list of co-sponsors for the bill, including Al Franken, John McCain, and Dianne Feinstein, noting that the legislation uses the Lanham Act to target domain names and intellectual property.

The hosts evaluate the likelihood of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) passing, noting that major changes are required for it to proceed. They compare media coverage of the bill, noting CNN's pro-SOPA advertisements and their own reliance on C-SPAN for primary source material, specifically regarding recent Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearings.

A representative from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is criticized for claiming that foreign servers are "hard to find" to justify the SOPA and PROTECT IP acts. The hosts demonstrate that using basic tools like "traceroute" and IP lookups makes it simple to locate any server with a DNS address, debunking the legislative narrative.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act are analyzed as tools for the RIAA and MPAA to exert control over the internet. The hosts explain that these laws allow the government to break DNS records to effectively shut down websites without due process. They argue the legislation is less about counterfeit physical goods and more about the entertainment industry's desire to control content distribution ahead of the election cycle.

The hosts briefly discuss the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), predicting it will not pass or will be bypassed by internet users. A new word, "bogative," coined by Bill O'reilly during a book promotion, is adopted into the show's lexicon. The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming research into the Second Mile Foundation for the Sunday program.