Stop SOPA

On this day of voluntary internet blackout to protest PIPA/SOPA legislation, I felt compelled to write my representatives and share those thoughts with everyone, to reuse freely without permission. In other words, I’m offering up the following text for public domain. Do with it what you please:

Dear Representative,

As you’re undoubtedly aware, today many websites across the internet are taking up a “Stop SOPA” campaign in which many voluntarily refuse access to visitors to simulate the results of passing of PIPA/SOPA in its current form.

As a Software Engineer by trade, and writer & photographer in hobby, I understand and appreciate the need for copyright laws. However, as a citizen of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, I also understand that the copyright law now represents the interests of mega-corporations instead of the common man.

Not only do I support the strikedown of SOPA-like legislation, so too do I support the reversal of the copyright extensions that companies have long lobbied for. It is with great irony that content producers who use public domain works to produce a derivative work (such as classical music in old Disney cartoons) work to battle the realization of old works entering the public domain after a sufficient length of copyright.

How better can an American contribute to the general welfare of society than contribute their intellectual property when they no longer can benefit from it? To place untenable limits on such actions is to legislate against 313 million Americans, just as passing SOPA to allow the take-down of whole internet sites without notice or due process is unfathomable.

Stop SOPA. Repeal unreasonable copyright extension.

Sincerely,

Taylor Gerring

To the extent possible under law, Taylor Gerring has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to Stop SOPA.
This work is published from: United States.