OPEN

[William Kelly]

Has anyone checked out this new proposed law OPEN, being promoted by our friend Rep. Darrell Issa?

This is on topic of JFK because I am putting together a JFK Act Internet Symposium and trying to get Issa to hold JFK Act oversight hearings.

I also want to know if this law will effect the Ed Forum or other internet activities we are engaged in. - BK

Can OPEN help Congress make peace with the Internet? — Tech News and Analysis

Congressman Issa

We’ve written before about the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA, whichmany in the technology industry and the legal community believe will break the Internet in a number of important ways. As it turns out, the legislation has its critics in Congress as well, and a bi-partisan group is now proposing its own alternative, which it calls OPEN. Its supporters argue it accomplishes the same goal as SOPA, which is to target “rogue” sites that traffic in piracy, but it would do so without the egregious infringements on free speech and other elements that made SOPA unappealing. But can OPEN win enough support to turn the tide?

The law’s actual name is the Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade act, and it’s being promoted by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), both of whom have been leading critics of SOPA and a similar House bill called the Protect IP Act. Although they’re different in some respects, both SOPA and the Protect IP Act involve granting powers to private companies to pursue websites for alleged infringement, and both would force payment companies and ISPs to police the legislation by removing those websites from the Internet and/or making it impossible for them to process payments. As Sen. Wyden said of PIPA:

At the expense of legitimate commerce, PIPA’s prescription takes an overreaching approach to policing the Internet when a more balanced and targeted approach would be more effective. The collateral damage of this approach is speech, innovation and the very integrity of the Internet.

OPEN has already won support from some SOPA critics

In contrast to SOPA and PIPA, which many critics said were far too wide-ranging in their definition of what constitutes an “infringing site” — a net some believed could easily have trapped popular media and content sites like YouTube as well as obvious piracy-focused services — OPEN narrows that to concentrate on those “dedicated to infringing activity.” It also requires that the International Trade Commission be the independent arbiter of whether a site qualifies, whereas SOPA gave companies the ability to shut down websites with just a court order.

[Richard Hocking]

Bill, thanks for posting the link to OPEN. I agree with you that this has implications for sites like the JFK Assassination Forum.

My first take on offering OPEN as an alternative to SOPA is that it may be easier to eat the elephant one bite at a time, and that offering "more moderate" legislation, will make the lawmakers look more reasonable in their attempt to garner support.

I am sure there are "piracy" issues that need to be addressed, but this is also a convenient excuse for TPTB to begin reining in Free Speech on the Web.

That is their real objective.

The U.S. Government just tossed Habeas Corpus down the drain in favor of Indefinite Detention, with barely a murmur from the controlled MSM.

Now they have turned their sights on a largely unregulated area of free speech - the internet. Is the timing of these actions coincidental?

I suggest that all forum members consider contacting the appropriate Congressmen regarding the JFK Act oversight hearings, SOPA, and OPEN.

[William Kelly]

Rep. Darrell Issa, the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who is responsible for scheduling hearings, is holding one tomorrow (Wed. January 18) on the subject of Search Engines and Internet Domains.

While we are asking Issa to hold an oversight hearing on the JFK Act, and question why so many JFK assassination records have been destroyed, are missing and still being with held, this hearing will give people an idea of how they are held and who the players on the relevant committee are. I believe the hearing will be cablecast live over CSPAN and web streamed and archived at the House Oversight Committee's web site:

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

JFK Act Oversight Hearings Petition

(27) COA JFK Act Ad Hoc Lobby Group

BK

JFKcountercoup

Has anyone checked out this new proposed law OPEN, being promoted by our friend Rep. Darrell Issa?

This is on topic of JFK because I am putting together a JFK Act Internet Symposium and trying to get Issa to hold JFK Act oversight hearings.

I also want to know if this law will effect the Ed Forum or other internet activities we are engaged in. - BK

Can OPEN help Congress make peace with the Internet? — Tech News and Analysis

Congressman Issa

We've written before about the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA, whichmany in the technology industry and the legal community believe will break the Internet in a number of important ways. As it turns out, the legislation has its critics in Congress as well, and a bi-partisan group is now proposing its own alternative, which it calls OPEN. Its supporters argue it accomplishes the same goal as SOPA, which is to target "rogue" sites that traffic in piracy, but it would do so without the egregious infringements on free speech and other elements that made SOPA unappealing. But can OPEN win enough support to turn the tide?

The law's actual name is the Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade act, and it's being promoted by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), both of whom have been leading critics of SOPA and a similar House bill called the Protect IP Act. Although they're different in some respects, both SOPA and the Protect IP Act involve granting powers to private companies to pursue websites for alleged infringement, and both would force payment companies and ISPs to police the legislation by removing those websites from the Internet and/or making it impossible for them to process payments. As Sen. Wyden said of PIPA:

At the expense of legitimate commerce, PIPA's prescription takes an overreaching approach to policing the Internet when a more balanced and targeted approach would be more effective. The collateral damage of this approach is speech, innovation and the very integrity of the Internet.

OPEN has already won support from some SOPA critics

In contrast to SOPA and PIPA, which many critics said were far too wide-ranging in their definition of what constitutes an "infringing site" — a net some believed could easily have trapped popular media and content sites like YouTube as well as obvious piracy-focused services — OPEN narrows that to concentrate on those "dedicated to infringing activity." It also requires that the International Trade Commission be the independent arbiter of whether a site qualifies, whereas SOPA gave companies the ability to shut down websites with just a court order.

[William Kelly]

Rep. Darrell Issa, the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who is responsible for scheduling hearings, is holding one tomorrow (Wed. January 18) on the subject of Search Engines and Internet Domains.

While we are asking Issa to hold an oversight hearing on the JFK Act, and question why so many JFK assassination records have been destroyed, are missing and still being with held, this hearing will give people an idea of how they are held and who the players on the relevant committee are. I believe the hearing will be cablecast live over CSPAN and web streamed and archived at the House Oversight Committee's web site:

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

JFK Act Oversight Hearings Petition

(27) COA JFK Act Ad Hoc Lobby Group

BK

JFKcountercoup

Has anyone checked out this new proposed law OPEN, being promoted by our friend Rep. Darrell Issa?

This is on topic of JFK because I am putting together a JFK Act Internet Symposium and trying to get Issa to hold JFK Act oversight hearings.

I also want to know if this law will effect the Ed Forum or other internet activities we are engaged in. - BK

Can OPEN help Congress make peace with the Internet? — Tech News and Analysis

Congressman Issa

We've written before about the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA, whichmany in the technology industry and the legal community believe will break the Internet in a number of important ways. As it turns out, the legislation has its critics in Congress as well, and a bi-partisan group is now proposing its own alternative, which it calls OPEN. Its supporters argue it accomplishes the same goal as SOPA, which is to target "rogue" sites that traffic in piracy, but it would do so without the egregious infringements on free speech and other elements that made SOPA unappealing. But can OPEN win enough support to turn the tide?

The law's actual name is the Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade act, and it's being promoted by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), both of whom have been leading critics of SOPA and a similar House bill called the Protect IP Act. Although they're different in some respects, both SOPA and the Protect IP Act involve granting powers to private companies to pursue websites for alleged infringement, and both would force payment companies and ISPs to police the legislation by removing those websites from the Internet and/or making it impossible for them to process payments. As Sen. Wyden said of PIPA:

At the expense of legitimate commerce, PIPA's prescription takes an overreaching approach to policing the Internet when a more balanced and targeted approach would be more effective. The collateral damage of this approach is speech, innovation and the very integrity of the Internet.

OPEN has already won support from some SOPA critics

In contrast to SOPA and PIPA, which many critics said were far too wide-ranging in their definition of what constitutes an "infringing site" — a net some believed could easily have trapped popular media and content sites like YouTube as well as obvious piracy-focused services — OPEN narrows that to concentrate on those "dedicated to infringing activity." It also requires that the International Trade Commission be the independent arbiter of whether a site qualifies, whereas SOPA gave companies the ability to shut down websites with just a court order.

Nevermind. Issa postponed the hearing.

Issa: Flawed SOPA Bill Not Headed to House Floor

OGR hearing planned for Wednesday postponed following assurances, removal of DNS provisions Washington, DC – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today announced that ahearing scheduled for Wednesday, which was to examine the impact of Domain Name Service (DNS) and search engine blocking on the Internet, has been postponed following assurances that anti-piracy legislation will not move to the House floor this Congress without a consensus. "While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act, I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House. Majority Leader 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,” said Chairman Issa. “The voice of the Internet community has been heard. Much more education for Members of Congress about the workings of the Internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal.” "Earlier tonight, Chairman Smith announced that he will remove the DNS blocking provision from his legislation. Although SOPA, despite the removal of this provision, is still a fundamentally flawed bill, I have decided that postponing the scheduled hearing on DNS blocking with technical experts is the best course of action at this time. Right now, the focus of protecting the Internet needs to be on the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced his intention to try to move similar legislation in less than two weeks." Chairman Issa intends to continue to push for Congress to heed the advice of Internet experts on anti-piracy legislation and to push for the consideration and passage of the bipartisan OPEN Act, which provides an alternative means for protecting intellectual property rights without undermining the structure and entrepreneurialism of the Internet. Learn more about Rep. Issa and Sen. Ron Wyden’s alternative the OPEN Act at www.keepthewebopen.com ###