Websites protest against SOPA

By Robert Purchese Published 17 January, 2012

The infamous US bill that could change the internet.

English-language websites including our friends Rock, Paper, Shotgun and a site we definitely never look at called "Wikipedia" will be taken offline for one day tomorrow in protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its friend PIPA (the PROTECT IP Act).

SOPA is designed to allow movie companies, music labels and video game makers to actively protect their creations from piracy online.

However, opponents have argued that it goes too far, allowing courts to issue orders more or less banning any websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement - by removing them from internet search results and instructing ISPs and payment companies like Paypal to bar access to them - without hearing or defence. The bill would also make unauthorised streaming of copyrighted material a crime punishable by jail time.

While the bill would only affect US access to websites, the global ramifications would be considerable.

PIPA, the PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011) is a similar law being proposed to the US Senate. (It is also one of the most stupid bacronyms ever invented.)

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the owner and organiser of game show E3 and representative of nearly all major video game publishers, publicly supports SOPA, although opposition has now spread to some of its member companies. The likes of Bungie, GOG.com, Mojang, Runic and Riot Games have all come out against the bill.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Joystiq have pooled resources in an effort to doorstep all members of the ESA and find out where they stand on SOPA. The list of SOPA supporters can be viewed online, although few video game companies are present.

Back in the US, the White House opposes SOPA in its current form, although PIPA alone could alter the internet as we know it. A test vote for PIPA will be held in the US Senate on 24th January.

You can declare your opposition to it via a PIPA petition website.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (66) Latest comment 4 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • benfresh76 #1 4 months ago

    Drop the SOPA.

  • Donaldthescotishtwin #2 4 months ago

    Fuck congress and the US government.

  • Gearskin #3 4 months ago

    I remember when the internet didn't exist. The world was a better place without e-drama.

  • menage #4 4 months ago

    I think Pipa has a great ass....

  • wizlon #5 4 months ago

    I blame these guys:

  • DodgyPast #6 4 months ago

    Sad that reddit who are probably the most influential drive behind this receive no credit.

    Arstechnica will be putting up a lot of coverage.

    Also don't see any real understanding of how SOPA will be implemented let alone an attempt to explain it.

  • X201 #7 4 months ago

    @menage
    Negged due to lack of image ;)
    Edited by X201 at 17/01/12 @ 13:50

  • superstu1337 #8 4 months ago

    Doesn't matter if the whitehouse opposes it. Obama apparently opposed the 'indefinite detention of US citizens without trial' part of the NDAA - still signed it!

    'Fuck congress' - The elected public servants that are supposed to stop a dictatorship from being formed? Yeah... fuck congress...

    'Fuck the US Government' - Doesn't help anything either. It's bought and paid for criminal elements, that are the issue.

  • vibroguy #9 4 months ago

    both are being rewritten so a protest in kind of pointless. The only people a shutdown is going to hurt is those who oppose the bill anyway. There will be zero actual reporting of a shutdown in any reputable news outlets due to their corporate ownership.
    Edited by vibroguy at 17/01/12 @ 13:51

  • jstar #10 4 months ago

    @superstu1337

    No Obama did not oppose it. If the president of the united states opposes something they can use their presidential veto to confirm this. As we know, he did not.

    So he can say what he likes about opposing it but actions speak louder than words blah blah.

  • Feanor #11 4 months ago

    @Gearskin This article was better until you commented on it.

  • DwarfyP #12 4 months ago

    Rock, Paper, Shotgun should stay down once it goes offline for all I care but Wiki, how will I look up FACTS tomorrow? :(

  • Eoin #13 4 months ago

    @vibroguy - "zero actual reporting" - would you care to bet on this? Zero reporting on Wikipedia not being available for a whole day?

  • MattEdWithCheese #14 4 months ago

    I seem to remember there's also a boycott SOPA android app which lets you scan bar codes and will tell you if anyone will profit from buying the item...

  • Lexx87 #15 4 months ago

    I'd be up for Eurogamer joining in with this along with RPS, SOPA and PIPA would set terrible presecdents.

  • DyingAtheist #16 4 months ago

    SOPA - You put a video of your dad singing 'Dancing Queen' while drunk on YouTube. Youtube is blacklisted. Facebook is blacklisted because of your friends linking to the video. The DNS address system (backbone of the internet) ceases to function as it is not designed to hold different lists for different countries and treats blacklisting as a symptom of hacking. The list of "things the western world now does that used to mean BAD GUYS" increases with the addition of 'China style firewall', widespread privacy invasion (as companies have to monitor ALL user traffic) and rampant destruction of new/indie startups (as major media companies crush all opposition without evidence by having rivals blacklisted without a fair hearing). Please, to those of you not yet interested in this thing I BEG you to just read the wikipedia page on SOPA. The ACTUAL encyclopedia entry that has no bias! This thing will ruin the internet and I'm not being hyperbolic when I say it may well be the most dangerous piece of legislation in US legal history. It affects the whole planet and we should all be screaming about it to anyone who will listen.
    Edited by DyingAtheist at 17/01/12 @ 14:31

  • atomicjuicer #17 4 months ago

    Eurogamer should close too.

  • schnide #18 4 months ago

    @MattEdWithCheese

    Whether you support SOPA or not, that's a brilliant idea!

  • bobfish09 #19 4 months ago

    The only way this would work if the websites were Google, Facebook and Apple's app store/itunes, no one cares about any other sites on the internet.

    EDIT: Actually, if it does get through I might start a campaign to get the pirates to use Facebook, then see how long it lasts. :)
    Edited by bobfish09 at 17/01/12 @ 14:15

  • Hammerfist #20 4 months ago

    Seems like more and more sites will be doing the same. Just saw a post on Gamerillaz that they'll be doin it to.

  • FireMonkey #21 4 months ago

    @DyingAtheist - "Please, to those of you not yet interested in this thing I BEG you to just read the wikipedia page on SOPA. The ACTUAL encyclopedia entry that has no biase!"

    I agree with you, but saying Wikipedia has no bias is probably a bit wrong, when it is shutting down for a day to oppose SOPA.

  • menage #22 4 months ago

    I agree, spam the shit out of Facebook, Youtube, etc. until they're forced to close em down.

    Like we really visit commercial sites these days. Most effective online marketing happens word of mouth or other means on social media. They're own marketing tools are practically useless in comparisson.

    They'll basically kill themselves.

  • arcam #23 4 months ago

    Nice one RPS.

  • UncleLou #24 4 months ago

    There will be zero actual reporting of a shutdown in any reputable news outlets due to their corporate ownership.

    Am I getting that right, you're saying no reputable news outlet will report that (and why) Wikipedia is offline?

  • mcmothercruncher #25 4 months ago

    Fucking Pipa, if she's not flaunting her arse she's threatening the whole bloody interner!

  • FireMonkey #26 4 months ago

    "You can declare your opposition to it via a PIPA petition website."

    You can if you live in America, but this is EUROgamer. Seeing as this could effect the internet for uses worldwide, I wonder if there is a worldwide petition on this?

  • DyingAtheist #27 4 months ago

    @FireMonkey I see where you're coming from, but Wikipedia is founded on removing bias. I would actually trust their SOPA entry more because they have to be extra careful making it impartial.

  • captain_Carl #28 4 months ago

    Everyone is against it but i still really don't have a sodding clue what it is

  • riceNpea #29 4 months ago

    as usual the powers that be take a massive sledge hammer to the knees of the end user rather then attacking the problem at the root.

  • SG #30 4 months ago

    Democracy in action again! >_>

  • OneClassyBloke #31 4 months ago

    Wikipedia is a piracy site for knowledge. Of course they would be opposed to SOPA. Encyclopædia Britannica forever!

  • shadow651 #32 4 months ago

    SOPA goes above and beyond fighting piracy, hell has anyone seen DMCA used for good. I mean do any member of congress understand the magnitude of their bills, for the first time in a long time ordinary people have a easy to access area to assembly and be free to talk and they are about to ruin it

  • madjim #33 4 months ago

    It's no coincidence that "pipa" means blowjob in Greek. :)

  • Architect_z #34 4 months ago

    Now you listen to me! I'm from Buenes Areres and I say kill em all!

  • vibroguy #35 4 months ago

    Why do you think its not being talked about in the New York times? Or on CNN? Or why John Stewart only mentioned it in his opening monologue when prompted by an audience member? Its because the corporations supporting these bills own the media too. Remember when Fox news covered hackgate and the made out like the news of the world was the victim?

    Like I said, RPS or Wikipedia or Reddit going down is only going to hurt one group of people, those who already actively oppose it.

    Both bills will eventually get passed in one form or another and you will have to look that little bit harder for the latest torrents

  • DodgyPast #36 4 months ago

    <quote>UncleLou wrote:
    There will be zero actual reporting of a shutdown in any reputable news outlets due to their corporate ownership.

    Am I getting that right, you're saying no reputable news outlet will report that (and why) Wikipedia is offline?</quote>

    Actually there has been pretty much a complete news blackout in the US. Which is why reddit and others are having to go to great extremes to publicize the issues.

    My favourite was reddit raising money for the campaigns of people standing for election against SOPA supporters. That caught some people's attention.

  • YenRug #37 4 months ago

    @Eurocensor

    The difference is, Newzbin was only blocked after a court order was obtained, SOPA/PIPA only requires a request to be raised by an "interested" party and the block will be implemented straight away without any notification of the site owner, nor any check to see if the request is legitimate.

  • Fallen_Angel #38 4 months ago

    <quote>Eurocensor wrote:
    Never mind the US. We've already got SOPA-style laws here that allow copyright holders to get access to sites blocked using the same technology that is used to block child porn sites. Newzbin2 is one example of a site that was blocked: -

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/26/bt-block-newzbin2-filesharing-site</quote>

    I actually tried Newzbin on BT yesterday. Http didn't work, but you can simply use https. Bit of a farce really.

  • Yeoung #39 4 months ago

    Outlawing piracy will just create a criminal internet sub-culture.

    Such things are usually premises for those dystopian future movies where the freedomfighting hims and hers bravely stand up to face the totalitarian government and eventually overthrow it securing peace and harmony and then the credits roll.

  • Brownstudy #40 4 months ago

    I dont know if you're joking, but piracy already is outlawed.

  • FireMonkey #41 4 months ago

    @YenRug - Good news. SOPA has been changed slightly and the DNS blocking part has been dropped.

    http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/lamar-smith-removes-dns-blocking-from-sopa/

    It's a small improvement, but it's going in the right direction (and will hopefully end in total collapse of SOPA)
    Edited by FireMonkey at 17/01/12 @ 16:11

  • UncleLou #42 4 months ago

    There will be zero actual reporting of a shutdown in any reputable news outlets due to their corporate ownership.

    Am I getting that right, you're saying no reputable news outlet will report that (and why) Wikipedia is offline?</quote>

    Actually there has been pretty much a complete news blackout in the US. Which is why reddit and others are having to go to great extremes to publicize the issues.

    Maybe my and the other poster's definition of "reputable media outlet" differ, but the New York Times for example has been pretty vocal about it.

  • CloisterBlack #43 4 months ago

    Fun fact: Pipa in Greek slang means "blowjob"

  • ps3owner #44 4 months ago

    the whole web should just shut down for 24 hours, just so ppl get to see what it's like outside.

    yeah. I went there today and it was scary

  • jimr9999us #45 4 months ago

    @Gearskin lol no joke right? I read books, newspapers...even went outside sometimes. It was the same exact world.

  • TazerFan #46 4 months ago

    @DodgyPast

    This is so easy to disprove, though. Navigating to Google News and performing a simple search for "SOPA" returns thousands of hits. Here are the first 8 or so:
    Wikipedia, MoveOn, Reddit, Mozilla shuts down to protest SOPA/PIPA, how to prepare
    CBS News - ‎13 minutes ago‎
    (CBS) - On Jan. 18, the English version of Wikipedia will go down for 24-hours to protest the US anti-piracy laws - Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). Yep, that's midnight tonight. Here's everything you need to know to prepare for

    Do you support the Stop Online Piracy Act?
    Wall Street Journal - ‎17 minutes ago‎
    The White House is opposing bills that would crack down on the sale of pirated American movies, music and other goods on foreign-based websites. The bills would require Internet companies to hobble access to foreign pirate websites, bar search engines ...

    US piracy bill to get a makeover
    CANOE - ‎19 minutes ago‎
    By Sarah McBride, REUTERS US legislation aimed at curbing online piracy, which had appeared to be on a fast track for approval by Congress, appears likely to be scaled back or jettisoned entirely in the wake of critical comments over the weekend from ...

    Wikipedia Blackout: Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to ...
    ABC News - ‎20 minutes ago‎
    By NED POTTER (@NedPotterABC) Wikipedia will go dark all day Jan. 18, 2012, along with Reddit and Boing Boing as a protest to the SOPA and PIPA bills in Congress. (ABC) Do not try to look up "Internet Censorship" or "SOPA" or "PIPA" on Wikipedia, ...

    How To Fix Online Piracy
    Forbes - ‎24 minutes ago‎
    Sometimes I feel like I'm the only dope who's still paying for movies and music. If I want to watch a movie, I buy it from Netflix or Amazon. If I like a song, I cough up $.99 for it on iTunes. My kids think I'm crazy – they seem to find whatever ...

    Jimmy Wales is showing a lack of imagination over the Wikipedia shutdown
    Telegraph.co.uk (blog) - ‎28 minutes ago‎
    By Alexis Dormandy Internet Last updated: January 17th, 2012 I've been following the Sopa (the Stop Online Piracy Act) saga with great interest over the last few months. It now seems that the legislation before the American Congress has hit the rocks ...

    Where's my Wikipedia? SOPA, PIPA blackout coming
    Los Angeles Times - ‎30 minutes ago‎
    Wikipedia is among hundreds of websites that will be showing just how they feel about SOPA by going dark Wednesday. The English-language version of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, will be shut down for 24 hours in protest of the Stop Online Piracy ...

    Google Plans Home Page Protest Against US
    BusinessWeek - ‎32 minutes ago‎
    By Eric Engleman Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., owner of the world's most popular search engine, said it will place a link on its home page tomorrow to highlight its opposition to US anti- piracy bills in Congress. Google is among Internet ...
    Wikipedia, Other Sites to Protest Anti-Piracy Bills with Blackouts

    PCWorld - ‎37 minutes ago‎
    By Ian Paul, PCWorld Jan 17, 2012 7:53 AM Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is warning students to do their online research before midnight Wednesday when the world's largest online encyclopedia will block access to its English language site for 24 hours. ...

    SOPA: Twitter will not join Wikipedia, Reddit in blackout
    Washington Post - ‎48 minutes ago‎
    Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing are planning to black out their services Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act by showing users the bill's effect on Web companies. These companies object to language in the bills...
    So there we have Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, ABC, CBS, The Washington Post, Business Week, The Telegraph, and others. One of the leading proponents of SOPA owns half of those pubs! I know the "media blackout" conspiracy is a tempting story to keep telling, but it simply isn't true.

  • DrStrangelove #47 4 months ago

    Give corporations official means to bypass democratic judiciary. Way to go, dear Obama government.

  • X201 #48 4 months ago

    @DrStrangelove

    Obama's against it

  • DodgyPast #49 4 months ago

    What about news regarding SOPA before the blackouts were announced?

    This just demonstrates that they're already starting to have the desired effect.

  • TazerFan #50 4 months ago

    @DodgyPast

    It has been covered extensively in the US since early December, but go ahead and keep moving the goalposts.

  • SEVQA #51 4 months ago

    Fact: The movie and media industry's profits have been increasing every year since 1995

    Fact: Less people are being employed by these industries every year.

    Fact: CEO and board members of these industry organisations profits and bonuses have increased every year, even in the face of failure.

    Fiction: Piracy causes the loss of jobs in these industries.

    This bill is nothing more than an attack on the poor and for the world to remain where fat cats get fatter by taking more money with less people doing the work.

    This bill is a disgrace and will affect the whole world.

  • Silvervein #52 4 months ago

    Out of curiosity. US passed legislation affects only US based companies, am I correct?

    So what might possibly happen if that bill is passed, is that most internet companies will move out of the states to canada, europe, russia, china and whatnot. US loses internet related jobs, media piracy is still well and good, and the world gets the internet related jobs the states lose. Bad news for people in the states, but other than the transition period, I don't see much change.
    Please correct me if I'm wrong.

  • Waylander101 #53 4 months ago

    We at Albatross Revue are having a black screen in protest tomorrow.

    Also it's not really SOPA that'll affect gaming sites it's PIPA; EA don't like that review? Site closed you used screenshots. M$ don't like your hacking story? Site closed you used their IP to illustrate the article.

    Not that I'm saying those two would do that, just an illustratio0n before anyone gets the knickers in a twist.

  • Waylander101 #54 4 months ago

    @Silvervein You're likely to see none US govts. adopting a similar legislation so that all Internet freedoms are curtailed

  • Okamiwolf #55 4 months ago

    People's real anger should be turned against the Entertainment Software Association and its members (EA, Sony, Sega, Capcom, Ubisoft, Square, Nintendo etc.). They're the ones (along with the movie and music industry) who are lobbying the US government to pass this bill. So if you're going to blame anyone, blame your favourite video game publisher. They're bringing this down on us.

    The US government are just the puppets. The ESA are the puppet masters.

    Nintendo is a member of the ESA pushing for SOPA. Mario is killing the internet.

  • SEVQA #56 4 months ago

    It does appear Obama has spoken out against SOPA which is a good move! http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/14/obama-administration-responds-we-people-petitions-sopa-and-online-piracy

  • seeafish #57 4 months ago

    So, PIPA is an abbreviation of an abbreviation...
    Mind = Blown

  • callum9999 #58 4 months ago

    I personally think it's absolutely ridiculous. Congress/media conglomerates do something you don't like - so what shall we do... I know, annoy millions of normal people who have nothing to do with this. Great plan...

    EDIT: Presumably the people who disagree with this have some sort of explanation as to why stopping people accessing their favourite encyclopaedia for a day is going to have any affect whatsoever on SOPA?
    Edited by callum9999 at 18/01/12 @ 00:09

  • MattEdWithCheese #59 4 months ago

    @callum9999 The Blackout as an event has raised the profile of the issue within the mainstream press and the price of a single day is a trifling sum...

    ...and here's a brief explanation of the effects that the bills would have and why it is imperative that we all oppose it:
    Edited by MattEdWithCheese at 18/01/12 @ 05:17

  • FireMonkey #60 4 months ago

    @callum9999 - Most of wikipedia will still be available in Google's cache though, so it shouldn't really bother anyone.

  • UncleLou #61 4 months ago

    What about news regarding SOPA before the blackouts were announced?

    This just demonstrates that they're already starting to have the desired effect.

    It really doesn't prove anything like that. There has been extensive coverage for months.

    Besides, the the original point the other guy made was that noone would report it. Which was clearly utter nonsense.

  • Laminator #62 4 months ago

    Want to ensure that artists are fairly compensated for their work? How about making law that decrees the original creators of IP are fairly compensated from each sale instead of having to sign over all rights to their IP and receiving a pittance. Ironic the biggest thieves of all are lobbying to pass this law to stop piracy.

    Except stopping piracy is not the real goal, rather it's to give them control of the net so they can eliminate any websites they don't like the look of (i.e. new competition) at will.
    Edited by Laminator at 18/01/12 @ 11:48

  • callum9999 #63 4 months ago

    @FireMonkey True - it's also still available on the main site if you just press the Esc button in the gap between loading the article and the black screen popping up.

    And it may have "raised the profile" but it was already been widely reported in the mainstream media - even in the UK, a foreign country... And I hardly think there are many people around who don't know about SOPA and yet would actually do anything about it if they did. I personally couldn't care less. Probably a bad thing for the government to get such power, but then they already have the powers to arbitrarily arrest and imprison people without charge indefinitely - a much bigger issue. Doesn't affect the likes of Wikipedia though so evidently they don't care enough to do anything about that particular assault on freedom.
    Edited by callum9999 at 18/01/12 @ 11:49

  • Dirtbox #64 4 months ago

    @jstar Yeah he does.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/14/obama-administration-responds-we-people-petitions-sopa-and-online-piracy

  • Bulbatron #65 4 months ago

    Not a fan of piracy at all, but from what (admittedly little) I've read, it sounds somewhat as though the large companies could use these new rules to try and gain control of the internet, which is worrying.

  • saku_luk #66 4 months ago

    @CloisterBlack Pipa in Polish slang means "pussy"...