Senate Passes Bill To Quash Pirate Websites

[nsane.forums]

The U.S. Senate's Judicial Committee unanimously passed the controversial 'Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act' today, a bill that could be used to crack down on many BitTorrent sites and other file-sharing platforms. The bill would give the Department of Justice the unprecedented power to take over domain names of websites that are deemed to facilitate copyright infringement.As was demonstrated earlier this year, taking the domains of suspected sites has proven to be a highly effective tool to shut down sites that are considered illegal. In September, a group of U.S. senators proposed legislation to make this a standard procedure, and today the Senate’s Judicial Committee unanimously supported the bill.

Before it becomes law the bill will have to be approved by the Senate and Congress, which has to happen quickly because a new Congress will be seated in January.

If signed into law, the ‘Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act’ (COICA) would allow the Department of Justice to file a civil lawsuit against the domain owners. If the courts then decide that a site is indeed promoting copyright infringement, the DOJ can order the domain registrar to take the domain offline. The bill is not limited to domestics offenders, but also allows the DOJ to target foreign domain owners.

The targets of the bill could possibly include many BitTorrent sites. Last week both the MPAA and RIAA submitted their wishlists of “rogue websites” that should be taken care of, and these included The Pirate Bay, isoHunt, Demonoid and other popular torrent sites.

Although none of the operators of these sites will be happy with the new legislation, Demonoid has been opposing COICA in public, asking its members to take action.

“If passed, this law will allow the government, under the command of the media companies, to censor the internet as they see fit, like China and Iran do, with the difference that the sites they decide to censor will be completely removed from the internet and not just in the US,” a message on the Demonoid homepage reads.

Aside from classic "pirate’ websites, the bill also conveniently provides an effective backdoor to take the whistleblower site Wikileaks offline, or its domain at least. After all, Wikileaks has posted thousands of files that are owned by the United States.

If the bill is accepted it will change the Internet and how domain names are controlled for good. Thus far, no central government has the power to take over domains. This power belongs exclusively to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Over the last weeks, several digital rights groups including the EFF have voiced their concerns over the new legislation, calling it an “unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech and a threat to innovation” and claiming it “would break the Internet.”

The protests and opposition are expected to continue during the next weeks, but meanwhile the RIAA and MPAA are applauding the Government’s actions.

Article from: TorrentFreak.

View: Original Article

[DKT27]

This is bad. Really really bad. I wont be surprised if you'll see violent people on the US streets from now on.

[Bizarre™]

They better expect people to retaliate :bag:

[RobrPatty]

And it will be ppl from all over the world who will retaliate. This is bad news......bad news.

[myidisbb]

this is why you dont vote democrat nor rino

[HX1]

This has got nothing to do with Democrat, or Republican.. besides that how many seats are held.. and by what party? ... how many congressman....? Really.. beating a dead horse.. quit watching FOX. Get a view that has nothing to do with either side before you get blind-sided in the shadows by one thing or the other.. what the hell is a Rino?

Back on topic.. This has been opposed for quite sometime... and the numbers in the opposition are quite large.. why they are going ahead.. regardless... with the new act.. this one.. I will never know.. besides that.. This ability is already reserved by everyone in the line of sight.. including the ISP's.. why is there even the need. It will definitely cause backlash and repercussions.. People are being strangled out of life by the economy, their rights and needs are ignored, and now not only ignored but every aspect of their life is now being taken over. There are not very many people who are going to sit idly by and watch this take place... For 10 years, all you see is decline.. then your pushed back into the shadows and weakened.. never being able to actually achieve anything or get anywhere.. and now someone is going to come by and gank you of your 5h17.. in an effort to offset a preface that the economy is dying because of this problem.. or that there is actually any money to put back into it...

Maybe the Jihad actually just sprinkled this country with stupid dust.. I mean, how much stupid 5h17 will go on and for how long.. People trying to go after Public radio.. attacking the fundamentals because it doesn't fit their objectives or goals which is going to line their pockets or their egos.. I want to know who and what is going to put the reigns on that 5h17... and why is our government being barraged by this overflow of incompetency.

[DKT27]

Update on it. Thanks to toyo. :)

[irefay]

I agree this has little to do with politics and everything to do with control. If we are lucky, a group will get together and push our side of the issue.