sopa

Kaspersky dumps trade group over SOPA

Moscow-based security firm Kaspersky Lab is leaving a major software trade group to demonstrate its opposition to a Draconian copyright bill.

"Kaspersky Lab is aware of the public controversy and debates sparked by the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)," the company said in a statement provided to CNET. "Kaspersky Lab is occasionally mentioned in the discussion as a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which supports the SOPA initiative.

Last month, BSA CEO Robert Holleyman said he believes that SOPA can promote creativity while deterring "bad actors". Holleyman, however, added that "valid and … Read more

SOPA's most aggressive defender: U.S. Chamber of Commerce

There is no more influential business lobby group in the world than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts that its "core purpose is to fight for free enterprise" and "individual freedom."

Which is why the Chamber's unflagging--even unyielding--support of a controversial copyright bill loathed by Silicon Valley might come as something of a surprise. Not only do critics view the Stop Online Piracy Act as antithetical to the individual freedom the Chamber applauds, but the technology industry has contributed more to economic growth and free enterprise in the last decade than Hollywood has. … Read more

U.S. executes another round of Web site takedowns

As Cyber Monday draws near and debate continues about the Stop Online Piracy Act, the U.S. government has again seized a bevy of domain names it says belong to Web sites that deal in counterfeit goods.

Blog TorrentFreak ran a list of more than 130 domains it said were seized by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement division as part of "Operation in Our Sites." TorrentFreak called the move the largest such round of seizures to date.

Most of the domain names suggest sites that traffic in counterfeit … Read more

AT&T's merger with T-Mobile teeters

week in review In the face of regulatory resistance, AT&T appears to be bracing for the end of its intended $39 billion merger with T-Mobile.

AT&T said this week that it will take a $4 billion accounting charge in the fourth quarter to cover a breakup fee to T-Mobile should the deal fail to gain regulatory approval. AT&T and T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telecom also said they've withdrawn their pending approval applications to the Federal Communications Commission "to facilitate the consideration of all options at the FCC and to focus [the companies'] continuing … Read more

Surprise! Microsoft quietly opposes SOPA copyright bill

Microsoft has long been one of the most ardent proponents of expanding U.S. copyright law. But that enthusiasm doesn't extend to the new Stop Online Piracy Act, which its lobbyists are quietly working to alter, CNET has learned.

It's little surprise that Web-based companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter oppose SOPA, which is designed to make allegedly piratical Web sites virtually disappear from the Internet. They, and many civil liberties and human rights groups, worry that SOPA could jeopardize legitimate Web sites too.

But Redmond's skepticism is notable because unlike the Web companies, Microsoft earns nearly all … Read more

SOPA's latest threat: IP blocking, privacy-busting packet inspection

A little-noticed portion of a controversial House of Representatives copyright bill could require Internet providers to monitor customers' traffic and block the addresses of Web sites suspected of copyright infringement, a significant expansion of requirements in an earlier version of the bill.

The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, says a network provider can be ordered to "prevent access by its subscribers located within the United States" to the allegedly piratical Web site. That language did not appear in an earlier Senate version called the Protect IP Act.

"It would cover IP blocking," says Markham Erickson, … Read more

Google gets in the music groove

week in review Google is getting into the music business.

The Web giant launched Google Music, a service that takes advantage of Google search technology as well as its ability to tap the tastes of a user's friends to recommend songs. With three of the four major record labels now participating in the service, users will also be able to buy music.

The beta version of Google Music, which debuted in May, didn't include the ability to buy songs from labels. But users could upload their entire music libraries to Google's servers, making those tunes available to … Read more

Tumblr users fight SOPA with 87,834 calls to Congress

Tumblr users have come out in full force against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the microblogging service announced yesterday.

Earlier this week, Tumblr set up a page where its users could sign up and receive a phone call from the company with talking points about SOPA. From there, the company connected users with their U.S. representatives to voice concerns about the bill.

All told, Tumblr said yesterday, 87,834 calls were placed to representatives. The average call lasted 53 seconds, while the longest came in at 31 minutes, the company said. A total of 1,293 total hours … Read more

OpenDNS: SOPA will be 'extremely disruptive' to the Internet

SAN FRANCISCO--David Ulevitch is an entrepreneur who built his business, OpenDNS, around providing better ways for customers and companies to deal with Internet domain names.

Which is why he's so alarmed by a Hollywood-backed copyright bill called the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. Ulevitch predicts it will be "extremely disruptive and destabilizing" to the Internet.

"The legislation has the potential to create the great firewall of America," Ulevitch, 29, told CNET in an interview today.

SOPA, which was introduced last month in the House of Representatives to applause from the Motion Picture Association of … Read more