The hours leading up to and during yesterday’s blackout of websites in the name of protesting anti-piracy legislation prompted a flurry of coverage, more stark claims about the impending death of the Internet, and knee-jerk reactions to the outcry. Much like waking up with a bad hangover, however, the morning after may provide a moment [...]

Independent filmmaker and grassroots member David Newhoff has a piece on The Hill today highlighting the long-term consequences of overblown rhetoric on thoughtful policymaking and progress. He writes: “If SOPA and PIPA fail, or fail to pass in substantive form, it will indeed be a shame for American content creators and consumers, but the real [...]

A number of Internet sites today have opted to shut down in protest of bills they say would censor the Internet. A headline-grabbing PR stunt, to be sure. But these companies and groups are making charges about the bills that are blatantly untrue, conjuring up straw man legislative demons in order to knock them down [...]

Kathy Wolfe, Founder and CEO of Wolfe Video and Wolfe Releasing –the oldest and largest exclusive distributor of LGBT films in the world– has a piece on the Huffington Post today.  In it she writes that while the Internet is essential to her business and the independent filmmakers she represents, and they “have readily embraced [...]

Appearing today on a panel entitled Infringement, Rogue Websites, and Copyright Crackdowns at International CES, Executive Director Sandra Aistars took the opportunity to refute many of the mischaracterizations of SOPA and PROTECT IP that have been popularized by heated and hyperbolic rhetoric. Joining Sandra on the panel were Ryan Clough, Office of U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren; [...]

The Copyright Alliance has written extensively about the threat of foreign-based rogue web sites to America’s artists and creators. But consumer safety is a critical factor in the importance of legislation aimed at cutting off these sites selling unlicensed, unregulated and unsafe products to American consumers. See our overview of consumer safety issues here. The [...]

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a founder of rogue website NinjaVideo.net was sentenced to 22 months in prison for criminal copyright conspiracy.  Hana Amal Beshara plead guilty to conspiracy and criminal copyright infringement, and is one of five NinjaVideo.net administrators to be indicted.  Three of her co-defendants have also plead guilty and [...]

As the House Judiciary Committee readies for markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act tomorrow, much attention is also being paid to a competing proposal that would utilize the International Trade Commission (ITC) as the venue for enforcing copyrights and trademarks online against foreign based rogue websites, outside of US jurisdiction. While the creative community [...]

The National Governors Association (NGA) today sent a letter to Congress supporting legislation that would combat rogue websites and protect US intellectual property. In the letter, Governors Sam Brownback and Jeremiah Nixon (Chair and Vice Chair of the NGA Economic Development and Commerce Committee) write: “On behalf of the nation’s governors, we urge Congress to [...]

Copyright Alliance Legal Advisory Committee Board Members, John Stewart and Thomas De Meese of the law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP*, today issued a white paper about European Internet Service Provider (ISP) liability for online infringement.  As the U.S. Congress is considering various legislative proposals to address the adverse impact that foreign rogue Internet [...]