This presentation was given at the February MLUG meetup in Minsk. Slides in PDF and latex-beamer (including links to sources) are attached below. Summary of the presentation:

SOPA, ACTA, TPP: Internet Archipelago

Problem?

• SOPA: extrajudicial killing of sites, de-facto ban on user-generated content

• ACTA: criminalization of copyright infringement, human rights erosion for the benefit of the big content

• TPP: further expansion of the “intellectual property” regime, restrictions on buffer copies

Taking issue with the procedure:

• Laws and agreements are written by Hollywood behind closed doors, while other affected parties, including the public, are informed after the fact

Unseen War

1992. AHRA mandates digital audio copy protection, imposes a tax on blank media

1994. TRIPS makes copyright enforcement a condition of WTO membership

1997. NETA increases penalties for copyright infringement

1998. DMCA outlaws breaking DRM

2000. My.MP3.com is taken out

2001. Napster is taken out

2005. Grokster is taken out

2008. PRO-IP allows USA to take over domains of foreign sites

2010. Dajaz1.com blocked for a year “by mistake”

2011. USA demands that UK extradites Richard O’Dwyer even though his site TVShack did’t violate UK laws

2012. Megaupload is shuttered, BTJunkie gave up, The Pirate Bay admins lost the appeal and are going to jail

Alms for the Rich

If all BitTorrent users were to buy their movies from Netflix, Hollywood profits would increase by $60 mil.

Our Solution Is Revolution

We won’t:

• buy music from them

• go to their movies

• buy their DVDs

• play their games

• read their books and magazines

We shall:

• support independent artists

• go to live performances

• buy DRM-free games straight from developers

• use Kickstarter, HumbleBundle etc.

• share our content

FAQ

I get all my games and movies from the torrents anyway…

No matter how much they whine about piracy, the only real threat to them is the alternatives to their business model. Same reason why Microsoft prefers people to steal Windows instead of switching to Linux.

I’m not a US citizen, why should I care?

USA exports its ``intellectual property’’ regime across the world and has a lot of influence on Internet’s technology and infrastructure, and on the world culture in general. Content mafia is an international problem.

I’m not a US citizen, what can I do?

A lot. Stop giving your money to the content mafia. Develop alternatives that help avoid it. Fight against the IP in your own country. Convince your friends to follow your example.