Hey all: I'd like to draw your attention to the information below. Please considering signing, and forward to others you feel would be interested in joining this effort to stop SOPA and protect the Internet.
----- A grassroots effort has been sparked in the OER and educational technology community to express concern about the implications of the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP act for OER and online educational services. You can see our draft letter here<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mODQeljsWa1tzg1mVShE51L8bARR8jaPUdlmWJc3iX4/edit> . More information on the bill below, but if you already agree, the process to sign on is simple: - Visit this form<https://docs.google.com/a/massthink.net/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dEF1aHBMeFZyYXNRUzBXeHFlZW5EZHc6MQ#gid=0>and simply add your name, email, organization, and (if you want) approximately how many learners you or your organization reach. - Reply to this email with the above information and we will add you to our list. Why does SOPA matter to online education? There is now a whole class of sites that encourage lawful distribution, remixing and redistribution of educational content (e.g. Curriki, Connexions, P2PU, YouTube, CK12). Should someone accidentally or purposefully upload copyrighted material, that service would generally be protected from liability by the DMCA. A content owner would issue a DMCA takedown to start that process for removal. If these bills are enacted, sites that host or use user-generated content could be required to monitor their site for infringing material, and could potentially have their domain name disabled by the government if content owners thought that infringement was occurring on that site. This represents an entirely new legal power given to content owners to control the flow of content online and to shape the very foundation of the Internet. This battle is not just about a material threat to existing sites, but fighting for future innovations and future services that have yet to be created. Here are some groups that have already expressed concern: - Librarians<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111110/00563216705/when-even-librarians-are-against-sopa.shtml> - Tech investors<http://www.usv.com/2011/06/the-protect-ip-act-will-slow-start-up-innovation.php> - Legal academics<http://www.scribd.com/doc/59241037/PROTECT-IP-Letter-Final> - Entrepreneurs<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110907/15472915844/top-entrepreneurs-warn-congress-protect-ip-will-stifle-innovation-hurt-job-growth.shtml> - Tech companies<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111025/08343716500/house-trying-to-rush-through-its-version-protect-ip-tech-industry-asks-why.shtml> - Sports fans<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111109/00180516690/sopa-will-have-serious-implications-sports-fans-blogs.shtml> Again, please join us in becoming a signatory to our Concerned Educator letter to Congress<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mODQeljsWa1tzg1mVShE51L8bARR8jaPUdlmWJc3iX4/edit>. The process is simple. You can either: - Visit this form<https://docs.google.com/a/massthink.net/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dEF1aHBMeFZyYXNRUzBXeHFlZW5EZHc6MQ#gid=0>and simply add your name, email, organization, and (if you want) approximately how many learners you or your organization reach. - Reply to this email with the above information and we will add you to our list. Thank you! We need your voice in this fight and beyond. -- Timothy Vollmer Open Policy Fellow, Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/about/people/#timothyvollmer
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