A Technical Examination of SOPA and PIPA

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) are the subject of this infographic.

  • Via THOMAS: “Stop Online Piracy Act – Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to seek a court order against a U.S.-directed foreign Internet site committing or facilitating online piracy to require the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, to cease and desist further activities constituting specified intellectual property offenses under the federal criminal code including criminal copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation and trafficking of sound recordings or videos of live musical performances, the recording of exhibited motion pictures, or trafficking in counterfeit labels, goods, or services.”
  • Via THOMAS – S. 968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, 112th Congress, 2011–2012. Text as of May 26, 2011 (Reported by Senate Committee). “Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 or the PROTECT IP Act of 2011 – (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to commence: (1) an in personam action against a registrant of a nondomestic domain name (NDN) used by an Internet site dedicated to infringing activities (ISDIA) or an owner or operator of an ISDIA accessed through an NDN; or (2) if such individuals are unable to be found by the AG or have no address within a U.S. judicial district, an in rem action (against a domain name itself, in lieu of such individuals) against the NDN used by an ISDIA. Defines ISDIA as a site that: (1) has no significant use other than engaging in or facilitating copyright infringement, circumventing technology controlling access to copyrighted works, or selling or promoting counterfeit goods or services; or (2) is designed, operated, or marketed and used to engage in such activities. Defines NDN as a domain name for which the registry that issued the domain name and operates the relevant top level domain, and the registrar for the domain name, are located outside the United States. Allows the court, upon application by the AG after an NDN-related in personam or in rem action is commenced under this section, to issue a temporary restraining order or an injunction against the NDN, registrant, owner, or operator to cease and desist further ISDIA activity if the NDN is used within the United States to access an ISDIA directing business to U.S. residents and harming U.S. intellectual property right holders.”
  • See also SOPA’s Evil Twin Sister – CISPA: Well known graphic artists Jake O’Neil and Spencer Belkofer created this infographic out of a sense of urgency to visualize the salient information with as many communities as possible. This bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, has not garnered the media coverage of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), but its high impact implications target key legal issues involving privacy and intellectual property.

SOPA & PIPA Infographic by Lumin Consulting

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