edit2:
I'd like to bring your attention to this petition [link] hosted right on the whitehouse.gov website!

I guess there's always the chance that Congress would be idiotic enough to publicly ratify ACTA, but with the entire internet angry at them they just might make the smart choice. There's a lot of loonies out there. I actually read one comment on a YouTube video about someone claiming that they took a dump on Smith's car. Obviously you can't really check if that's a valid claim, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it were true.

This whole situation...it's kind of like awakening a sleeping monster XD.

/edit2

edit:
Something -worse- than ACTA? Yes, it is: TPP.

>:[

So now I've stumbled upon another secret trade agreement: the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Agreement. Here is the article: [link]
From what I can tell it's even LESS known than ACTA. I haven't even been able to find any YouTube videos on it.

Here are two lovely quotes I think you will find interesting:

"A leaked version of the February 2011 draft U.S. TPP Intellectual Property Rights Chapter indicates that U.S. negotiators are pushing for the adoption of copyright measures far more restrictive than currently required by international treaties, including the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement."

"The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is pursuing a TPP agreement that will require signatory counties to adopt heightened copyright protection that advances the agenda of the U.S. entertainment and pharmaceutical industries, but omits the flexibilities and exceptions that protect Internet users and technology innovators."


Yep, more restrictive than ACTA.

Countries will be forced to rewrite their copyright laws and adopt this agreement's (beyond sucky) laws.

I don't really know much about this myself, but here are a few points summarized from the article:
-Temporary reproductions of copyrighted works without permission will count as infringement. (So I'm guessing you can't put your music on an external drive if you're getting a new computer?)
-Countries can't import legitimate goods without copyright owner approval. (So basically Japan could say that USA is no longer allowed to import anime.)
-Extend the Life+70 years copyright in individual work, and the 95 years after publication/120 years for corporation stuff.
-Ban circumvention of digital locks. (DMCA is a whole host of issues in and of itself.)
-"Adopt criminal sanctions for copyright infringement that is done without a commercial motivation." (Pretty self-explanatory there.)
-"Adopt the U.S. DMCA Internet Intermediaries copyright safe harbor regime in its entirety. This would require Chile to rewrite its forward-looking 2010 copyright law that currently provides for a judicial notice and takedown regime, which provides greater protection to Internet users' expression and privacy than the DMCA's copyright safe harbor regime." (Couldn't have said it better myself.)

/edit

You thought SOPA was bad? ACTA is 10x worse...

I just learned about this ACTA thing, and holy crap it's basically SOPA on steroids... plus it'd be GLOBAL.

Watch this video, it's really short but it's enough for the basic info. [link] This thing really REALLY needs more awareness like ASAP .___.,

another good video to watch about it: [link]


edit:
SOPA/PIPA blackout

Turning off my wireless. I will pop online just once because I'm curious what the other sites will be doing for their blackouts, but otherwise I will be offline until 8pm EST.

Screw SOPA/PIPA. I hope all you Texans vote that idiot out of office!
/edit


A very informative and eye-opening video on SOPA!

If you oppose SOPA, you can't afford to NOT see this video. Send this to your local lawmakers. This evidence could help stop it in its tracks.

[link]

Download it, reupload it, spread the word.

How funny is it that the people who support SOPA the most are actually the ones that caused the whole piracy problem by being exclusive distributors of things like LimeWire, Kazaa, and Bit Torrent? All the while offering tons of copyrighted songs for users to download directly from their own websites? Then bragged about it?

Twitter has this neat little avatar censor thing going. You can make one here: [link]