Oz. We are the media, and so are you. Change like this needed a fresh set of voices. The established tech giants may have newfound political influence, but their fights are still the same closed-door tussles over minor details. They have been at the table, and they have too much invested in the process to change it. More important, they are constrained by obligations to their shareholders and investors, as well as by the need to maintain relationships with their advertisers, partners and customers. Wikipedia, its users and its contributors don’t have the same constraints. Wikipedia is not opposed to the rights of creators — we have the largest collection of creators in human history. We are not interested in becoming full-time advocates; protests like the Wikipedia blackout are a last resort.
Two weeks ago we recognized a threat to that infrastructure and did something we’ve never done before: We acknowledged that our existence is itself political, and we spoke up to protect it. Because we are the media industry. Wikipedia blackout - a UK lawyer's perspective. SOPA and the Wikipedia blackout – A UK lawyer’s perspective Wikimedia, the Foundation responsible for Wikipedia has today taken the unprecedented step of implementing a 24 hour “blackout” of the Wikipedia website in protest at proposed new anti-piracy laws in the US. The protests are aimed at two bills – the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect-IP Act (PIPA) presently under consideration by Congress. In November, other internet companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Ebay issued a joint letter expressing opposition to SOPA and last week the European Parliament adopted a resolution which “stresses the need to protect the integrity of the global internet and freedom of communication by refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names”.
Much has been written about the rights and wrongs of SOPA and I’m not sure that, speaking as a lawyer who advises both IP rights holders and businesses setting up websites, I’m best placed to give an unbiased view. SOPA protests: Southwest Michigan reacts to day of Internet blackouts. Gazette/Katie Selden Kevin Charron, of Kalamazoo, enjoys free wifi at Fourth Coast Cafe on Wednesday, Jan. 18. "Knowledge should be free," said Charron, when asked to comment on the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (S.O.P.A). Teachers might rejoice at the prospect of their students being forced to go without Wikipedia, but some in Southwest Michigan were going through withdrawal Wednesday without access to a host of Internet sites, including Wikipedia and Reddit, in what backers are calling the largest protest in Internet history.
While not participating in the blackouts, other major sites offered solidarity. Craigslist had a black screen for 10 seconds and Google had a black "censor" band across its name and links supporting the protests against proposed Hollywood-backed legislation Stop Online Piracy Act (S.O.P.A.) and Protect IP Act (P.I.P.A), which protesters say would result in censoring the Internet. That's the point, supporters of the blackouts say. Pockets of Internet go dark to protest piracy bills. Scots have saved £1bn in university fees, says Holyrood research Scottish students have saved £1bn under the SNP government while students south of the border have footed a bill of £14bn, according to Scottish Parliament research. Research from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice), commissioned by the SNP, found that since fees rose to £9,000 three… Wikipedia considering joining SOPA blackout protest | Geek Gestalt.
Count Wikipedia among the growing number of sites that are likely to take action against SOPA. As anger towards the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act grows, more and more people and organizations are joining the fight against the bipartisan Congressional legislation. ( See CNET's FAQ on SOPA .) Earlier this week, the news site Reddit announced it would shut down for 12 hours on January 18 in a bid to make its displeasure known about SOPA and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act. And now, there are strong signs that Wikipedia may express its community's protest sentiment, although it's not yet known in what form.
Other sites, including the Cheezburger Network, home to massively popular Internet meme sites like I Can Has Cheezburger , have also said they will shut down on January 18. And the tide may be turning against SOPA. Wikipedia discussion In a discussion thread about what to do about SOPA, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales indicated his inclination to shut down Wikipedia on January 18: