The legislation of A.C.T.A. and S.O.P.A. control and resistance
Theodoulou, Lazaros
The technological advancements regarding internet communications in the last decade have been so great, that they have transforming whole sectors of the international market. In this day and age the average internet user has instant access to a plethora of software and applications and the benefits from a high speed connection. This provides access with great ease, even to a person without special computer skills, to vast array of pirated or counterfeit material, usually free of charge and especially from anywhere on the world where there is internet access. Nowadays, the production of many “goods”, as cinema films, music records, computer software and many more, a much more richer funding than before. Projects tend to get bigger and more specialized, require particular personal, expensive equipment and methods. These facts produce high risks for any investment, small or large, due to the absence of a global affecting legislation. A.C.T.A. and S.O.P.A. are two legislative texts that are different in nature: the first is International Trade Agreement and the later a U.S. law. Yet when they appeared they were met with a common resistance, as they both affected common aspects of social life and sets of rights freedoms all over the world. The resistance was impressive, unpredictable, with even large corporations backing it up and in the end successful, as today none of the two legislations is in effect today. What are in effect are ominous repercussions of uncontrollable I.P. infringing that are also common for today’s society.
