Politics & Current Affairs — December 13, 2011

Proposed Online Protection & Digital Trade Laws “Salvageable”

America’s anti-piracy bill, “OPEN”, is at least a useful starting point, unlike an earlier alternative, SOPA/PROTECT-IP, which was “blatant rent-seeking,” says Eric Goldman.

bigthinkeditor

What’s the Latest Development?

In the U.S., Eric Goldman dissects the a draft of OPEN, the Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade Act, intended as an alternative to an earlier proposal, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)/PROTECT-IP. “Unlike SOPA’s disgustingly blatant rent-seeking…OPEN provides a useful starting point for a sensible conversation that could actually lead to acceptable compromises.”

What’s the Big Idea?

Whereas SOPA treated piracy as more of a criminal issue, OPEN instead moves the process away from the courts and “situates the discussion about ‘rogue websites’ in foreign trade policy,” which Goldman likes. But among the things he doesn’t like are that OPEN still contemplates reestablishing a ‘fortress USA,’ “which makes zero sense for digital bits zinging around the borderless network.”

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