I have been following the progress (or lack thereof) of the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) legislation, as well as a number of the other proposed bills that are intended to curb online piracy. I am radically against piracy, many of my clients and friends make their living producing intellectual property, and to take their work is stealing, plain and simple. And to traffic in their stolen work is fencing stolen property, argue it any way you want.

And yet, I have to oppose anything that would restrict the growth and use of the internet, and the free exchange of ideas and materials across it. MY OWN career and future depend on that.

But, whichever side you are on, we all have a couple of common problems – that we ALL will need to deal with as the internet becomes more and more a part of the way we do business, communicate, and just plain live.

The first is that our government is not equipped to legislate on the subjects. The incredible swings in opinions at the last minute by our congress show it. Legislators are listening to their constituents (and their lobbyists) and attempting to legislate without truly understanding the way the internet works. It has sounded very much akin to listening to non-drivers write new traffic laws. That’s not their FAULT, you can’t expect them to be experts at everything. But it has left them at the mercy of well-equipped and funded special interests of both sides.

The second is that our government isn’t really sure what their powers are on the issue. They blithely discuss legislation applying to foreign entities and legislation that restricts access and charges “tolls” – as if they can somehow make it stick in a global world.

I’m not saying I have the answer – but it is important that we in the industry begin to help them understand the questions.

JRR