SOPA
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We're not 'blacking out' today (but we still don't like SOPA)
Joystiq stands in solidarity with all the sites who are "blacking out" today in protest of the SOPA and PIPA bills ... or at least as much as we can stand in solidarity while continuing to post news. Let me explain. We at Joystiq oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act -- as does our parent company AOL, who is part of a coalition who spoke out against the bill in a full-page NYT ad. In its present form, it gives control of the whole Internet to the same entertainment companies who frequently send erroneous DMCA complaints and takedown notices. It's dangerous and overreaching. Piracy is a problem, of course, but so is censorship -- and that's precisely what SOPA is. We aren't even sure it would have an effect on piracy (in fact, we know pirates are resourceful enough to get around it, meaning that censorship would be the only effect). As journalists, we feel that the best thing we can do is to continue reporting, rather than to go silent. We'll continue informing you ... and not just about political issues that are important enough for us to be talking about them on a video game blog. About video games, too. It's what we do, as long as we still can. Our silence now could be as harmful as the forced silence we'd endure later under these laws. If you're as concerned about this as we are -- if you use the Internet -- we urge you to contact Congress. If you're outside of the US, this affects you too, as the bill is targeted in part at "foreign sites." You can get in contact with the US State Department. You'll find forms for both of those here.
Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA
At this point, SOPA needs no introduction. But if you've been diligently ignoring it up until this point, good luck getting through January 18th as an uninformed citizen. Google, Wikipedia and a host of other websites are either going dark or making huge, unmistakable statements on their homepages in protest. Google's tagline? "End Piracy, Not Liberty." Pretty much says it all, really. If you've spotted another site rebelling today, shout it out in comments below -- and while you're in the shouting mood, give your local officials a holler and let 'em know just how much you disapprove.P.S. - An amazing breakdown of this whole thing can be found here at reddit.
Ludum Dare hosting anti-SOPA game jam, Notch is in
Wikipedia and a few other sites around the Internet will be going under a blackout on Wednesday to protest SOPA, PIPA, and any other legislation that threatens to shut down parts of the Internet for the interests of a few in power. But shutting down for the day is a less creative way to go about it, so Ludum Dare has a better idea: Why not make some indie games instead? The famous indie game competition is hosting a virtual game jam throughout the day, asking indie game developers (or anyone off from usual work) to make games inspired by the fight against SOPA. There are already a few submitted, and you can make and add your own, or see what other developers have done throughout the day. It's just a freeform jam, so there aren't any real prizes to be had, except that we all get some fun (or crazy, or hastily designed) indie games to play afterwards. The #sopajam hashtag is being used to follow the conversation on Twitter, and at least one major indie developer has taken up the cause himself. Last time Notch jammed on a game it turned into a real Mojang release, so who knows what we'll get this time?
Lamar Smith: SOPA markup to resume in February
Thought the White House was able to put enough of smackdown on SOPA to kill the bill entirely? You thought wrong. We'd heard that the extremely controversial legislation would be delayed until a few concerns were ironed out, and according to House Judiciary Committee Chair Lamar Smith -- the author of the bill -- markup is expected to continue next month, as soon as both parties return from their retreats. Let's just hope that the "consensus" between Congress and the White House makes the bill look different than what we saw prior to the holiday break. Check out the full press release after the break.[Thanks, Brianna]
Google launches PSA-style 'Good to Know' ad campaign, wants to keep us safe
Google's no stranger to privacy-related controversy, which may explain the motivation behind its latest ad campaign. On Tuesday, the company will launch a series of ads across major newspapers, magazines and billboards, as part of its new "Good to Know" initiative, designed to make the internet "a safer, more comfortable place." According to Google, these ads will offer tips and advice on how to secure your personal information online, including details on how to protect your passwords from web predators. The entire campaign has a distinctly PSA flavor to it, though there's also a different subtext at work here, since Google is effectively branding itself as "the one you can trust." There are certainly some who would dispute that, but at a time when most privacy concerns are focused squarely on the government, it may be a good time for Google to crank up its PR machine. Find out more at the links below.
EA explains lack of SOPA stance
Responding to a Reddit reader, Electronic Arts corporate communication head Jeff Brown has detailed the publisher's lack of position on the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA). "EA has not expressed a position on SOPA," Brown wrote in the letter, noting there was confusion over the holiday about the company's stance on the bill. "We never supported so, naturally, never withdrew. We tried to correct the record but there is still plenty of confusion." "The game industry's representatives in Washington, Entertainment Software Association, has expressed support for SOPA ... OK true, EA is a member of ESA, and ESA supports SOPA, but we don't think that implies our support. Among ESA members, some support, some oppose, some take no position." SOPA is currently shelved while the House "address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus."
House won't vote on SOPA until 'consensus' reached
It's not quite victory, but at least our defeat has been postponed. Darrell Issa, chair of the House Oversight Committee, has announced that the Stop Online Piracy Act bill won't be voted on yet. Issa had originally scheduled a hearing for January 18, The Hill reports, but canceled it following Rep. Lamar Smith's decision to drop the DNS-blocking provision. "While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act," Issa said, "I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House. Majority Leader [Eric] Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to any anti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote." As for that Senate action, Sen. Patrick Leahy has announced that the ISP blocking component of the Senate's PIPA act will be removed through a managers' amendment, so that the other parts of the bill can be pushed through while that is studied in further detail. [Thanks, Eric; image: Infographic from AmericanCensorship.org]
White House responds to SOPA petition as hearing is delayed, DNS blocking on the outs
It's turned out to be a big weekend for those concerned about the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. Yesterday came word that a key House hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday will be delayed until there is a "consensus" on the bill, and today the White House has issued an official statement on SOPA (and the Protect IP Act, its counterpart in the Senate) in response to a petition that drew thousands of signatures. While it doesn't go quite as far as to issue a firm veto threat from the President, it does lay out the administration's position in the clearest terms yet, including the condition that any proposed law "must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System." That follows word late last week that Representative Lamar Smith and Senator Patrick Leahy would indeed pull the DNS provisions from SOPA and PIPA. The White House statement is less specific in other respects, but it broadly states that the administration will "not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet." In related news, the planned blackouts to protest SOPA and PIPA only seem to be increasing, with the popular xda-developers forum recently announcing that it will go dark at 8AM on January 18th, and return either at 8PM or as soon as it's able to get 50,000 people to sign a pledge to contact their local Senator or Representative.
Bungie opposes SOPA, mostly because it 'sucks'
Everyone at Bungie thinks SOPA "sucks," according to a new post on its News board. Bungie, formerly of the Halo franchise, joins a growing list of developers and companies opposing SOPA, and urges its audience to take action against the bill. "Bungie is opposed to any legislation that curtails free speech, stifles innovation, and prevents the open sharing of information on the Internet," Bungie's position reads. "SOPA fits that bill. If it passes, it will hurt our community, the gaming community at large, and it could very well cripple the kind of games we love to create and play. "Just like online piracy, that would be downright criminal."
Lamar Smith removes DNS blocking from SOPA
The Stop Online Piracy Act has gotten slightly less objectionable. Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has announced that he's removing the DNS blocking provision -- the most controversial aspect of SOPA -- from the bill. So while it is still possible (and easy) under the bill for someone to request the cutoff of revenue sources for a site, it will no longer be possible to obtain a court order to block all access to that site from within the US. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when we consider our continued freedom to visit a website a victory, even a small one. In a statement on his website, Smith said he's removing the provision "so that the Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision. We will continue to look for ways to ensure that foreign websites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers." We don't dare truly believe this is evidence that Smith is listening to us, but it's still proof that change is possible. Keep talking to your congresspeople about this. [Image: Infographic from AmericanCensorship.org]
GOG.com joins SOPA opposition
GOG may be a Polish company, which doesn't comment on "politics, legislation, and government actions" of other nations, but it has come out against SOPA. It states, "SOPA works in a fashion similar to DRM, if you ask us: it only will have an effect on people who are, by and large, honest consumers."
Sega responds to its SOPA non-response with a joke video
In what appears to have been an automated response, Sega customer support told a concerned gamer to try performing a "hard reset on the device," or, failing that, uninstall and reinstall the app. Unfortunately, that automated response was to a question about Sega's support of the SOPA bill through the ESA, and not about a crashing app at all. Instead of an apology -- or a real clarification about their stance on the controversial bill, Sega PR made this video making fun of themselves. Of course, under SOPA, if anyone claims a copyright violation on Sega's little video here, even if it's unfounded, then YouTube (not just Sega) would risk having the IPs of any ad servers and payment processing companies associated with it blocked, cutting off its funding. It would have five days to appeal this, regardless of whether or not it had violated any copyright. Following that, the complaining party could then seek a court order to block other parties, including DNS servers, from working with the "infringer." If anything, that bill is what needs a "hard reset." Perhaps that's what Sega was telling us all along.
Firefall shutting down beta in SOPA protest, Minecraft sites join in [update]
Red 5 Studios will shut down the Firefall beta on January 18, joining Reddit in its one day protest of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA). CEO Mark Kern told Shacknews that the "misguided legislation" would hurt smaller game companies that wouldn't have the legal resources to protect themselves in case of an "unwarranted shutdown." "We are also ashamed of the ESA for supporting a bill which is clearly not in the best interests of gamers or the game industry," Kern said, taking his protest of the organization that puts on the annual E3 event one step further. "We will not attend E3 unless ESA reverses their stance." "We issue a call to all our industry peers, including developers, publishers and game press, to join us in letting the ESA know they do not represent our views on this issue, and strongly oppose SOPA and PIPA." Despite the ESA's support of SOPA, some members have spoken out against the political lobbying group's stance. Non-member developers have also started speaking out this week, including League of Legends developer Riot Games and Torchlight's Runic Games. Update: Markus Persson has stated Minecraft.net and Mojang.com will join in the protest.
Firefall beta shutting down to protest SOPA
Gamers opposed to the controversial new SOPA legislation are somewhat limited in terms of voicing their displeasure. Game companies have a bit more visibility, and Red 5 Studios is making the most of it. On January 18th, the company will temporarily shut down the beta for its highly anticipated Firefall MMO shooter as a form of protest. The lights will remain off for 24 hours, and Red 5 CEO Mark Kern has some strong words for the bill and those who support it. "We are extremely disappointed in this misguided legislation. We are also ashamed of the ESA for supporting a bill which is clearly not in the best interests of gamers or the game industry," he told ShackNews. Kern went on to say that Red 5 has canceled its plans to attend this year's E3 "unless ESA reverses their stance."
Runic Games stands against SOPA
Runic Games, developer of the Torchlight series, has come out against the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and "PROTECT IP Act" (PIPA). "It is clear that the scope of the proposed legislation would give unnecessarily broaden power to large corporations while reducing the rights of individual citizens -- and it won't even stop software piracy," the company stated on its forums. "We at Runic Games oppose the SOPA/PIPA legislation and we encourage you to do the same." Runic then listed several resources for use in opposing the legislation, noting: "We can still make a difference." Yesterday, League of Legends studio Riot Games came out against the legislation. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the political arm of the video game industry, which represents most major publishers, is in support of SOPA. [Thanks, Jashua B]
Comcast network upgrade blocks DNS blocking, could make SOPA self-incompatible
Now here's a quirky twist in the ongoing SOPA opera. Comcast has just deployed DNSSEC technology across its entire internet service, which adds an extra layer of security to websites by checking that they have a special DNS signature to prove their identity. All well and good, except that in the process Comcast has been forced to admit that DNSSEC is "technically incompatible" with DNS redirect tools -- which happen to be precisely the tools that the Stop Online Piracy Act would use to block websites accused of copyright violation. The irony only deepens when you realize that Comcast is a major proponent of SOPA and, if anything, ought to be able to comply with its future edicts.
Congressman gamer supports Riot Game's anti-SOPA stance
SOPA is an extremely hot-button issue on the internet right now, with politicians, companies, websites, and individuals coming out for and against this controversial piece of US legislation. It's so important that many game studios have broken the unwritten rule of not commenting on politics to state their positions on the matter. Riot Games is one of these studios that have piped up to oppose the bill, as CEO Brandon Beck posted a lengthy reasoning as to why SOPA would harm League of Legends specifically, and he asked players to help stop it from being passed into law. "While we do support efforts to prevent online piracy, the current form of this legislation comes at far too high a cost for us, our players, and online communities across the internet," Beck writes, citing examples as to how the game could be taken offline and the community dismantled if the SOPA were wielded against LoL. Interestingly enough, Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, who is himself a League of Legends player, replied to Beck in support of Riot Games' stance: "I'm particularly concerned that SOPA might stifle the kind of innovation that brings us games we love, such as LoL. The bill makes it far too easy for angry competitors to sue good law abiding companies out of existence." Polis says that he is drafting an alternate piece of legislation to combat internet piracy without SOPA's potential abuse. [Update: If you'd like to encourage other companies to blockade SOPA, you might be interested in the online petition aimed squarely at Electronic Arts.]
League of Legends dev Riot Games speaks out against SOPA
Riot Games, the studio behind the incredibly successful League of Legends, has posted a statement in opposition to the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and "PROTECT IP Act" (PIPA). The company notes that preventing piracy of copyrighted content is a "laudable goal," but that SOPA/PIPA go beyond addressing piracy. The company laid out that the legislation would affect its fans in a number of ways. It's concerned about streaming services being shut down for non-malicious use of copyrighted material, and the threat such laws would have on creation and sharing sites such as YouTube, Reddit and DeviantArt, along with streaming websites, including Own3d and Twitch. In-house, Riot notes features such as in-game chat and forums could be cut back to avoid potential threats. Riot is not a member for the ESA, the video game industry's political arm, which is in support of the legislation. Riot also mentions that both acts "raise serious constitutional free speech issues, and could even compromise the basic security infrastructure of the internet." The statement concludes, "While we do support efforts to prevent online piracy, the current form of this legislation comes at far too high a cost for us, our players, and online communities across the internet." (As an aside, Riot's attorney is currently answering almost anything on Reddit right now about the company's stance.)
The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you've heard of SOPA and PIPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act are two radical pieces of copyright legislation currently being pushed through the US government. Although the stated intent of the new legislation is to provide companies with additional tools with which to combat piracy, the bill's loose wording has raised some serious alarm bells. Opponents to the proposed law say it would give corporations the ability to shut down any almost any website under the guise of protecting copyright infringement. Gamers will be affected worst of all, as the loose wording of the law makes any website with user-submitted content potentially vulnerable to a shut down order. That could include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, any blog with a comment section, or even any online game with a chat system. Perhaps the scariest part is that you'll be affected even if you're not in the US, as one of the new law's enforcement mechanisms is to remove a site from the DNS records, a move that assumes the US has jurisdiction over the global Domain Name System. AOL is among many huge companies strongly opposing SOPA, and so naturally Massively opposes it too. In this week's massive two-page Soapbox, I make the case for why you should be worried about SOPA, and I suggest what can be done to tackle piracy in the games industry. Comments can be left on page two.
MLG moves more than 100 domains in opposition of SOPA
SOPA's presence continues to loom, darkening e-skies across the nation and weighing heavy on the minds and hearts of tech-savvy Americans everywhere. The average citizen, in an attempt to effect what little change they can, has taken to moving their business away from companies that support SOPA; companies such as domain registrar GoDaddy. This movement, spearheaded by Reddit's Move Your Domain Day initiative, has influenced the business operations of at least one major player in the gaming world; Major League Gaming has announced the transfer of over 100 domains from GoDaddy to rival registrar Namecheap, saying that the gaming organization is "firmly against both the specifics of SOPA and the philosophy behind the bill." They go on to urge everyone curious about the subject to read up and draw their own conclusions, which sounds like a good idea to us.
