So with the Christmas Holiday I didn’t write a whole lot and I am just now getting back into writing again for Techdirt. So this time I am combining the last 3 weeks together, for a grand total of 4 articles. Yes I know that doesn’t seem to be a lot. 3 of them were from the last week so it isn’t so bad. Here they are:
Public Opposition Accelerates As Latest Anti-SOPA Petition Hits Goal In Two Days
There are two White House petitions asking Obama to veto the SOPA and PIPA legislation. The first one met its 25,000 signature goal in 2 weeks and the second one hit its 25,000 signature goal in 2 days. That is incredibly awesome. With the massive public backlash against SOPA and PIPA, I don’t know how Obama would be able to justify signing them into law if he values winning in the next election.
Mommy’s Best Games Says ESA SOPA Support Should End
Mommy’s Best Games, creators of Serious Sam Double D, wrote a very good article calling for game developers and gamers to contact ESA member companies to ask them to oppose SOPA and pressure the ESA to do so as well. Let’s hope that more gamers and developers follow through with the request and SOPA gets opposed.
ESA Officially Supports SOPA, VGVN Members Left In The Cold
Sadly, the ESA seems to be dedicated to supporting SOPA while at the same time leaving members of its “grassroots” organization, Videogame Voters Network, out in the cold. Gamers joined the group in order to protect the rights of gamers and SOPA is in direct contrast to that end. I have always been wary of the VGVN as I knew from the beginning that it could never truly be a gamers’ rights group as long as it was owned and run by the ESA. Join the ECA instead.
PC Gaming Alliance Remains ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ On SOPA
While the PCGA is one of the lesser known games industry trade groups, I still thought it was important to reach out to them for their opinion. They seem to have taken a different, although not necessarily better, tactic than the ESA. They recognize the need to stop piracy, but are remaining mostly neutral on SOPA and PIPA until they get more information from their members and the bills get a lot more review.
So that’s it for the 3 weeks. More will follow.
