Contest Corner is back online after our 24 hour SOPA blackout. All posts and functionality have been restored and we will resume our normal posting schedule. We appreciate your support!
In case you missed it yesterday, you can click here to read my article about SOPA/PROTECT IP and the blackout. It breaks down key points of concern in this legislation with extensive citations and sources for further reading. As someone with a background in music and journalism, ensuring that artists are duly compensated for their works is an important issue to me. Ironically, the vague wording of these bills could actually result in the removal of legal, non-infringing websites that musicians, painters, and writers rely on to promote their works – not only harming their careers, but destroying the livelihoods of countless others and permanently altering what Americans are allowed to see on the Internet.
It is because of the threats which these bills pose to legitimate sites such as Contest Corner that we decided to participate in this widespread blackout. And it is working – as of this writing, many senators have withdrawn their support for these bills. But while this is a step in the right direction, SOPA and PROTECT IP have not been scrapped. This is why it’s important to continue voicing opposition and let Congress know that these bills are not the solution to the complex issue of copyright enforcement.
If you haven’t already, click here to read my article about SOPA, then click here to write to your representative and tell them how you feel about SOPA and PROTECT IP. Or, if you’re really in a rush, click here to visit AmericanCensorship.org and use the form they provide to write to Congress – it literally takes 30 seconds to fill in your name and hit “Send”.
