New Bill Could Allow U.S. Government to Shut Down Domain Names

[Archangel]

Kevin Murphy spotted a new bill that, if passed in its current form, would give the U.S. government more powers to shut down domain names used for piracy and counterfeiting.

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act would make it easier for the government to shut down sites with pirated movies and music or selling counterfeit goods.

Domain Name Wire » News » New Bill Could Allow U.S. Government to Shut Down Domain Names - The Domain Industry's News Source

 

[Mystic Nobles Media]

People will change domains and some boom will kick in instead of always typing .com people will start to always type something else
example domain.com would turn into some other tld outside america there will be something else no one gives up easy and america needs to learn they don't own the world they have to grow up and stop acting like their the best and taking charge of everything and crying wolf when something goes wrong.
Come on guys admit it .com is going to die soon its being pushed to its limits we can always use some other non u.s domain america can't control what happens elsewhere no country controls the world america thinks they can but they can't.
Do you honestly think that people making $5000 a day from making people click on one ad to watch a movie are going to give up their $275,000/yr per site income when they could have 6 or 7 sites?they're not because the information used to track them down would be gained via privacy invasion and therefore they can counter sue.
Sony and a few other recording labels tried to sue UPC)An ISP in ireland & uk) because they won't release their clients details and the irish court(forget which one of our courts) ruled in favour of UPC and the judge said that because the means of getting the information would be illegal sony has no basis for a court order.
I am pretty sure the same thing will be said and done in other countries sure the turkish download alot and they have the biggest army they could easily go to war with america and win but they won't because they are responsible unlike america.

poltics and domains aside saying turkey would be the US in a war is just nuts

 

[harrisonsmith]

Hello,
If the American government in all its infantile temper tantrums wants to shut down one site, then they certainly will not stop there.They will have precedent and a clear reason to step in at any time to protect the interests of a few bloated companies and the bribes.

 

[namionc]

As far as I understand, the US gov can seize or shut down those domains, if

1) The registry of the TLD is under US jurisdiction (e.g. VeriSign for .com .net, or a subsidiary for .cc)

OR

2) The registrar is under US jurisdiction

So, I guess, the best way to protect against the US gov is to choose a TLD and registrar which are both NOT under US jurisdiction. Like the .co domain and a corresponding non-US-based registrar?

Or am I missing something here?

 

[mrjohn]

It doesn't really change much. It's a typical cheap politician gambit so when the 2012 election rolls around, they can lean on the entertainment industry and say, "See? We got you that nice shiny legislation to smack around all those nerds with. So, now are you gonna pay up or what?"

It's how American politics works. 95% of all legislation that is passed is for theatrical purposes only. If it's not nested away in a budget bill, it probably doesn't mean shit.

 

[Alex P]

My opinion on this is that if you give say the American government power to do this they will first use it for good, everyone will rejoice and then as soon as they find a website that they don't like they will take it down and then it will get to trivial sites, and it will become a censorship, freedom is lost ( around 2012 ) and the world will eventually end!

On a more serious note however I honestly don't agree with this, let company's defend there own products and hey I wouldn't mind if the music industry collapsed anyway.

 

[snicksnack]

So, I guess, the best way to protect against the US gov is to choose a TLD and registrar which are both NOT under US jurisdiction. Like the .co domain and a corresponding non-US-based registrar?

.CO would also not be so good, as they are partnered up with NeuStar (US company)

 

[mwzd]

My opinion on this is that if you give say the American government power to do this they will first use it for good, everyone will rejoice and then as soon as they find a website that they don't like they will take it down and then it will get to trivial sites, and it will become a censorship, freedom is lost

This is actually what everyone is worried about, the abuse of the law.

None of us is really bothered about them taking down illegal sites or sites selling fakes etc. but what happens when this is extended to 'anything that affects a US company'. Your company deals in the same thing as a US company but is not based in the US? bam, dns ban; your company sells similar products as a US company for cheaper? bam, dns ban.

The bill will only make it easier for them to go after people w/o any logical reason or worse, legal recourse, which goes totally against the fundamentals of 'freedom'.

 

[Archangel]

This isn't 1700. ppl use the crutch of the Constitution for everything. I don't believe in freedoms or that we should ever be free... not anymore. Maybe I should rephrase that: I believe we should be able to worship God or Lucifer or a Totem pole or Yanni or whatever. But freedoms are taken too literally and too dear to our beliefs of what we should expect from life. And there are consequences. People believe that they could wield guns because the Constitution permits it. We could say "I THINK OBAMA'S A FU*CKNG RETARD!" and the 1st Amendment lets us. But there are far too many ppl who try to stretch our Freedoms to the point where they're hardly recognizable. And these atrocities continue because we are holding true the guarantees we were given long before we ever even DREAMED of TV, the net, radio etc etc etc. Sometimes, a change is needed for the betterment and safety of the world as a whole. Yet there are still too many ppl out there who keep that 1700's mindset and see no logic in a Freedom ever being amended & believe the Government is being a bad guy because of it. Sometimes I question if the America people -- or any developed nation -- could ever Govern itself. Perhaps we could but not until ppl realize that sometimes, change is needed. It is vital. It exists for the welfare of the people, not for monetary or political gain. Things like this issue with domains and censorship & all does point to the other side of the issue, too. I have no idea how the Government or any government will last much longer but then again, it's all been here for centuries, be it a Democracy or Monarchy. It'll find its way.

The bill will only make it easier for them to go after people w/o any logical reason or worse, legal recourse, which goes totally against the fundamentals of 'freedom'.

 

[verbster]

Sometimes I question if the America people -- or any developed nation -- could ever Govern itself.

Would be quite the trick to find a "developed" nation without a recognizable form of government.

 

[mwzd]

Randy, are you saying this bill is actually good for the average domainer?

I'm slightly confused about your viewpoint,

coz it certainly doesn't seem that way for me.

 

[Archangel]

I don't think it's actually good for the average domainer, no. But I do think it's good for the average person, in general.

Randy, are you saying this bill is actually good for the average domainer?

I'm slightly confused about your viewpoint,

coz it certainly doesn't seem that way for me.

 

[HelloHost]

i am happy the they signed this bill. because atleast shows they are doing something.

 

[networkguy]

Domain Name Wire » News » New Bill Could Allow U.S. Government to Shut Down Domain Names - The Domain Industry's News Source

:lol: guess that's the end of youtube then! :bingo: