ASMP is Pro-SOPA

[Frank Petronio]

Interested to hear your chatter regarding the American Society of Media Photographers being in favor of the Stop Online Piracy Act?

Seems as though all these creative artistic types are adamantly against it. Along with Google and even Apple.

[Brian Ellis]

When I don't know enough to understand the ramifications of a proposed law, which is the case with SOPA, I decide whether I think it's good or not by looking at who's behind it. The Motion Picture Association of America is one of the big backers of SOPA. MPA is led by former Senator Chris Dodd. You may remember Dodd as one of the two legislators who, along with Wall Street, the two major rating agencies, and your friendly neighborhood banker, brought you the housing crisis. Chris Dodd for me falls in the category of "if he wants it I don't want it."

[Frank Petronio]

Does anyone ever read these bills, ever?

I imagine the staffers comb through so that they might insert something their bosses want, but my impression is that 99.99% of the time it's mob rule based on who else is for/against.

[Jay DeFehr]

SOPA/ PIPA and other proposed legislation intended to censor/control the web represent a serious threat to the free expression of ideas and innovation vital to progress. Significantly, these proposed laws would damage even those who expect to benefit by them, including those who believe these measures will strengthen national security. This is a threat to the evolution of a free and open internet, a junction at which we will decide to either join China, Syria, North Korea, Iran, and other oppressive societies, or continue to stand on the side of freedom and defend our core values against the misguided interests of big entertainment, publishers, other copyright/ IP champions, and factions within our own government. Fortunately, the Whitehouse does not support these proposals. See below the official Whitehouse response:

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet

[Jay DeFehr]

Brian,

there's a nice primer here:

http://craphound.com/

[Bill Koechling]

I have not yet read the bill but as an ASMP member I will try to wade through the thing. For those interested you can read it here (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112%3AH.R.3261%3A). A revised version currently being considered (Dec. 11, 2011) can be found here (http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/HR%203261%20Managers%20Amendment.pdf). ASMP states on their website, "The purpose of the changes is to keep the bill strong while addressing reasonable concerns, so as to increase support and improve the chances of enactment."

I think it's probably as important to have an understanding of how such bill might be enforced as it is to read it.

[Michael Graves]

I've read over both bills. While I am in favor of clamping down on on-line piracy in any form, there were several provisions that made me uncomfortable. Allowing a corporate entity any right whatsoever to demand changes to the DNS infrastructure is a very bad idea. You don't just yank an entry out of DNS tables in one or two servers. Yes, allowing that would have a noticeable impact on performance. I doubt that it would be as bad as some of the more vocal critics would have you believe. Additionally, as stated by others here, the enforcement policy is very loosely defined. In fact, the "offended entity" appears to have more enforcement power that any government entity. I doubt that is actually true, but it is a poorly structured pair of bills. PIPA is better than SOPA, and I think the two bills should be consolidated as a single law with a LOT of refinement before it is put up for a vote.

[Mike Anderson]

I think this is a good 2 sentence summary:


"The definitions and language and provisions are extremely broad and extremely vague," said Erik Martin, general manager at Reddit. "It would seem to be written without anybody who knew the technology."

[falth j]

Forrest, “I’m interested to hear your chatter regarding regarding the American Society of Media Photographers being in favor of the Stop Online Piracy Act?


Well Frank, "My momma always said…

"Life is like a box of lavishly tied and wrapped box of chocolates…

Until you unwrap the neatly wrapped box, and see dozens of politicians and lawmakers inside, all covered with gooey, milky chocolate,

“You never know what you’re gonna get,

it’s not until you take a bite and taste the ingredients,
that’s when you really get to look at what the they’re made from ,
and where the money that made them, comes from…

“You jest never know what you’re gonna get,

Until you see what money house they were made from…”


“That’s what my momma always said,
follow the money,
Frank, follow the money….

[Greg Blank]

Number of years ago, went through a lawsuit process that ASMP advised on. They suggested a lawyer for a group of photpographers I was included with. Some ASMP members quickly opted out while the lawyer advised us on the suit process and the fees involved. Eventually the case was won and a judgement handed down. However at the time traveling to Chicago from Baltimore to collect a few hundred dollars after the fees paid to the attorney did not seem like a wise choice. Had I registered the imagery with US copyright office I probably could have stated my case in local small claims court and saved the lawyers fee. If you put content on the internet in anyway its up for grabs, if you have a website someone will use it, it may not be for profit, but look at all the Art work- drawings that have various "Artists" claiming to be the painter. No doubt you as an Artist would be able to file a claim against the perp,...but most likely costs will be involved....this bill as was written before the suggested ammendments, would just cause way too many problems. I registered my discontent with americancensorship.org (Against SOPA). Personally I have never belonged to ASMP, but do qualify :)

[John Whitley]

Only one question. Will it enable me to nail to the wall and shut down those who take, use and post my images without permission and who don't fall squarely within 'Fair Use' exceptions in Copyright law?

Let's be clear: SOPA and PIPA are NOT written to protect independent creators. If these are enacted, they're much more likely to put you, as an independent creator, out of business. They're written at the behest of established media interests (think MPAA, ASMP, etc.), and virtually every cogent analysis indicates that these laws represent a massive chilling effect on independent creators, in part due to increased legal threat without due process.

Also, there's no such thing as "fall squarely within 'Fair Use' exceptions in Copyright Law". Someone else may claim "fair use", you may not, and then it's up to the courts to decide matters if you want to take it that far. The DMCA does about as well as you're going to get with its tit-for-tat mechanism re: the safe harbor clause.


You issue a takedown notice to a site hosting allegedly infringing content.
If the alleged offender does nothing, then game over, content removed.
OR the alleged offender may offer up a counter-claim, content restored.
You may now resort to the courts. At massive expense to everyone involved.


Any more "bite" than this he-said she-said mechanism is going to be outright draconian, and the last thing this country needs is more of that. We already have enough problems with our economy due to patent & copyright nonsense already on the books.

[Allen in Montreal]

...... The current bills do substantially more for the aggregators of IP (large movie, music, and publishers) rather than the individual creators of IP like photographers.

Governments would not take time from their coffee break to discuss lowly photographers and artists.

All these types of bills are written for the benefit of protecting the mass market entertainment corps.

[Greg Blank]

Governments would not take time from their coffee break to discuss lowly photographers and artists. All these types of bills are written for the benefit of protecting the mass market entertainment corps.

No doubt, what would happen if EVERY individual American re-registered as an independant voter- like I did almost four years ago? What would happen if voters then stipulated that EVERY elected official could have a job based on popular majority vote and be held accountable to the point of failure to perform that job would warrant being removed from office. I guess the mob would have to pull some folks from thier offices and do some needed tarring and feathering :D

Artists have always been the catalist for change. One thing struck me this week, I was given the bio on Steve Jobs for my recent birthday. One of the books first quotes is, those that are crazy enough to think they can change the world, will". I am crazy enough :)

[Thebes]

Well, I guess ASMP will never get a penny from me.

As I understand these bills, internet comments sections, blogging sites, social networking services, and even internet forums are in grave jeopardy of being held responsible for any links to, or uploads of, content whose copyright comes into dispute. Currently such services have a responsibility to remove uploaded content at the request of a right owner if the uploader of that content does not act to dispute the alleged right owner's request.
The current system of DMCA take-down requests has often been abused by individuals who know they have no right to file such a request. I can only see such abuses becoming worse if SOPA / PIPA become law. Indeed, I see a possibility that many forums and photo hosting sites will be pushed from the internet or will recede to foreign servers which could well end up blocked for US surfers over trivial and even spurious claims of "piracy".

As small content producers none of us want our rights violated, but these bills do not better address the problem than the DMCA. They do, however, massively undermine the internet services which we rely upon for basic communication, education, and marketing opportunities.

[bdkphoto]

ASMP statement on PIPA/SOPA below:

You may have seen recent news reports about two controversial anti-piracy bills: the PROTECT IP Act and Stop Online Piracy Act, which now appear to be facing significant opposition in Congress and the public. As background, ASMP strongly believes that it is crucial that copyright owners have effective tools to combat online piracy and we, as well as a number of other photographic trade associations, were early supporters of the initial online piracy bills. With the passage of time, it has become clear that there may be unintended consequences arising out of some of the current provisions of the legislation. Therefore, ASMP is monitoring changes in these bills as they occur, and will analyze the final language before taking an official position on the legislation.

[Coelus]

DMCA doesn't have much jurisdiction over foreign companies or individuals. They are foreign. Blocking people in the US from seeing the images and movies that foreigners have stolen doesn't stop them from stealing them and distributing them to the rest of the world. The thieves will always be thieves.

At least now you can go and look at the internet worldwide to see if someone has stolen your IP. Would you like give MGM, Universal, NewsCorp, ABC, etc the power to not let you even go look to see how your content is being used? How about if someone at one of the giants doesn't like what you have to say about them on your blog and gets you added to the list. You get shut down until you can prove you are not breaking the law.

Frankly, I see a constitutional challenge if either of these laws in enacted. Arguments could be made for 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th amendment violations. That alone could wrap the thing up in court for years if people had the money to keep the lawyers going after it. I see it as thus: Without warrant or proven cause, a persons speech, private business, and property (IP) can be seized and held by the government acting on the behalf of another private business without judicial oversight using a perversion of powers granted to the government for internal trade protections on both foreign and domestic persons and entities. Persons will be seen as guilty until proven innocent by a government committee, not a jury of peers, without judicial oversight or clear constitutionally granted powers.

Of course that's just the way I see it, which may not mean squat.

[Greg Blank]

I agree these laws are flawed. In my minds eye:The best fix would a technological one not a governed one that is unenforciable or uses methods that are questionable- draconian and that only big companies could enjoy.

[Jim Jones]

I haven't read either the PIPA or SOPA bills yet, but assume they are an attempt, not by the intellectual creators, but by people taking advantage of other people's intellect to protect financial interests. Copyright and patent laws were enacted to give creators a reasonable opportunity to gain some return for their effort. The copyright laws have been extended to provide a monopoly for business people and organizations often far removed from the original creators.

Other actions have been taken for hundreds and probably thousands of years to control intellectual property for various reasons. Heretics have been burned at the stake for what is now known to be accurate assessments of the universe. Galileo merely suffered house arrest for being right. Now we have the internet. Not since the invention of the printing press has there been such a revolution in the dissemination of knowledge. The industrial revolution brought about another of the great changes in civilization. Now, as we stumble into an intellectual revolution, we can grasp at perhaps the greatest revolution of all.

Knowledge is power. Such power should be for the good of all, not for the benefit of the greedy. We must protect what we earn, but giving unlimited power to the government to do this for us is not a wise choice. It's not the government that locks my house and car to hinder theft; it is me. I may loan valuables to friends, but don't leave them lying around for anyone to take. Occasionally on this and other forums I can contribute bits of experience or knowledge. As long as this is legal and inoffensive, it should not be hindered by unwise laws. Where would we be without Wikipedia? That is the gateway to almost unlimited knowledge.

[Jim Michael]

Had I registered the imagery with US copyright office I probably could have stated my case in local small claims court and saved the lawyers fee.

Copyright enforcement is federal so you would not get redress in a local court. But more importantly if you had registered your copyright you could have found an attorney who would pursue your case on contingency due to the higher amount of damages you would be entitled to. You really do yourself a disservice when you fail to register your images. It's a simple process and you can register a large number of images under a single $35 registration.

[Andy Eads]

I sent a message to my Senator, Maria Cantwell, and this is the response I got. She proposes an alternative more to my liking.

Thank you for contacting me about the internet streaming of copyrighted material. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

On May 12, 2011, Senator Leahy (D-VT) introduced S. 968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (PROTECT IP) Act. While I am supportive of the goals of the bill, I am deeply concerned that the definitions and the means by which the legislation seeks to accomplish these goals will have unintended consequences and hurt innovation, job creation, and threaten online speech and security. On November 17, 2011, I signed a letter along with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) objecting to the bill as it is currently written.

On December 17, 2011, Senator Wyden introduced the "Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade" (OPEN) Act (S. 2029), of which I am an original co-sponsor. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee, where it is currently awaiting further review. The OPEN Act is a more effective approach to stopping foreign web sites that are found to be primarily and willfully used to infringe intellectual property rights. The OPEN Act builds on the existing legal framework used by the International Trade Commission for addressing unfair acts in the importation of articles into the United States, or in their sale for importation, or sale within the United States after importation.

Our trade laws have yet to catch up to deal with the global digital economy. The OPEN Act recognizes that the Internet has created new opportunities for foreign products to reach the U.S. market and that there is little difference between downloading a pirated movie from a foreign website and importing a counterfeit movie DVD from a foreign company. For those foreign web sites that are determined after an investigation to be primarily and willfully infringing, the International Trade Commission will issue a "Cease and Desist" order. The "Cease and Desist" order may also be served on financial intermediaries that provide services to that foreign web site, compelling financial payment processors and online advertising providers to cease doing business with the foreign site in question. This would cut off financial incentives for this illegal activity and deter these unfair imports from reaching the U.S. market.

The OPEN Act addresses the same challenges as the PROTECT IP Act, while protecting freedom of speech, innovation, and security on the Internet. The challenge of rogue web sites is one that many nation's face. The United State has always been seen as a leader on Internet issues. Laws we establish in the United States regarding the Internet are likely to be used as models around the world. And because the Internet is global in nature, it is important that we carefully consider how the laws and policies we adopt in this area may be received and translated by other countries.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. You may also be interested in signing up for periodic updates for Washington State residents. If you are interested in subscribing to this update, please visit my website at http://cantwell.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.

[Greg Miller]

Copyright enforcement is federal so you would not get redress in a local court. But more importantly if you had registered your copyright you could have found an attorney who would pursue your case on contingency due to the higher amount of damages you would be entitled to. You really do yourself a disservice when you fail to register your images. It's a simple process and you can register a large number of images under a single $35 registration.

Plus, for registered images, you are entitled to be reimbursed for legal fees too.

[urs0polar]

As I understand it, these laws are stupid. I haven't really looked into this, but the way people are talking, I have a question. So, if I steal someone else's photo and post it to this forum without their permission, that would be enough to shut down the forum? Is that true? Similarly, if I post a picture I took of a Coke can, Coca Cola could have the forum shut down?

[Jay DeFehr]

As I understand it, these laws are stupid. I haven't really looked into this, but the way people are talking, I have a question. So, if I steal someone else's photo and post it to this forum without their permission, that would be enough to shut down the forum? Is that true? Similarly, if I post a picture I took of a Coke can, Coca Cola could have the forum shut down?

Someone on this forum? Probably not. Coca Cola? Definitely.

http://www.psfk.com/2012/01/clay-shirky-sopa-would-create-a-consumption-only-internet.html

[SamReeves]

Woot! SOPA! You go for it ASMP.

http://i41.tinypic.com/opo7f9.jpg

[Michael Graves]

I had not heard of this act before now, Andy. The description you post sounds more logical, so maybe I'll like it better. Won't know until I read it, but thanks for posting this.

[Greg Blank]

Stalin was a bad communist. Not all communists are Stalin :D

[Greg Blank]

Or just a general F-wit, worth less, than the average crack whore.


Someone on this forum? Probably not. Coca Cola? Definitely.

http://www.psfk.com/2012/01/clay-shirky-sopa-would-create-a-consumption-only-internet.html

[Jay DeFehr]

Or just a general F-wit, worth less, than the average crack whore.

Sometimes you confuse me, Greg. I don't get it?

[Jay DeFehr]

Stalin was a bad communist. Not all communists are Stalin :D

Sometimes, when she's in a nostalgic mood, Yulya Stanislovavna tells me Communist jokes:

An elderly citizen is roused by aggressively official knocking at his door, and when he opens, he's face to face with a squad from the KGB. "We've been informed you are hiding diamonds in your woodpile; is this true? "Of course not, where would I get diamonds?", the old man replies. "Search the woodpile!" the officer commands. The Brutish thugs destroy the woodpile, splitting every last log, as the old man's neighbor peers through a slit in his door. Finding no diamonds, the KGB lets the old man off with a warning he's being watched, with a wink towards the neighbor. Afterwards, the neighbor ambles over to admire the destruction of the woodpile, and says, "Next week let's hide the diamonds in my garden, it's nearly spring".

[Uri A]

SOPA/PIPA are not designed to benefit, be used by or protect independent creatives. If you have a spare hour and want to be a lot wiser (and possibly angrier) about how similar US patent law actually operates (as opposed to how it was intended to operate), listen to this brilliant radio program (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack) while you're dodging and burning in your darkroom (or desktop).

[Greg Blank]

That was my bad, not sure why I posted that before reading the piece.


Sometimes you confuse me, Greg. I don't get it?

[Greg Blank]

I could be wrong but I take it you don't mean Yulia? Judging by the nostalgic part I am guessing she is older than the 25 year old singer. This is what my Google search produced.

http://www.savicheva.ru/news/2011.12.15/IMG_3755_1280.jpg

Григорий Пустые всегда может показаться, чтобы найти путь.



Sometimes, when she's in a nostalgic mood, Yulya Stanislovavna tells me Communist jokes:

An elderly citizen is roused by aggressively official knocking at his door, and when he opens, he's face to face with a squad from the KGB. "We've been informed you are hiding diamonds in your woodpile; is this true? "Of course not, where would I get diamonds?", the old man replies. "Search the woodpile!" the officer commands. The Brutish thugs destroy the woodpile, splitting every last log, as the old man's neighbor peers through a slit in his door. Finding no diamonds, the KGB lets the old man off with a warning he's being watched, with a wink towards the neighbor. Afterwards, the neighbor ambles over to admire the destruction of the woodpile, and says, "Next week let's hide the diamonds in my garden, it's nearly spring".

[Jay DeFehr]

I could be wrong but I take it you don't mean Yulia? Judging by the nostalgic part I am guessing she is older than the 25 year old singer. This is what my Google search produced.

http://www.savicheva.ru/news/2011.12.15/IMG_3755_1280.jpg

Григорий Пустые всегда может показаться, чтобы найти путь.

Yulya Stanislavavna is my darling bride, and she's (a little) older than 25.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6181/6132118702_b4c217aa27_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jay_defehr/6132118702/) Juliet at Volunteer Park, Seattle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jay_defehr/6132118702/) by Jay DeFehr (http://www.flickr.com/people/jay_defehr/), on Flickr

Stanislavavna is her patronymic, and means "daughter of Stanislav". It's a form of address generally reserved for one's elders (I'm told), and rather formal, but Yulya always smiles when I address her this way. She says when she was teaching children in Russia, they would address her as Yulya Ivanavna, because Stanislavavna was too hard to pronounce.:D

[Greg Blank]

Its nice to put you into context. I've always liked the Russia accent but I do not speak anything like fluent Russian, a few words that would make a Russian Grandmother blush :D.

[Jay DeFehr]

Its nice to put you into context. I've always liked the Russia accent but I do not speak anything like fluent Russian, a few words that would make a Russian Grandmother blush :D.

My Russian isn't anything like fluent, either. I blame Juliet for her perfect English.:o

[Sizam]

Comparing ASMP (a media creation group) to Apple or Google doesn't make sense. Of course ASMP is Pro-SOPA, I'd be surprised if they were against it, they represent people who create media that is consumed online and therefore would be for any legislature that would wrangle the use of said media online.

Now, I'm as anti-SOPA as you can get, but from ASMP's perspective I can't see any downsides of SOPA or PIPA, those are the people these bills are designed to 'protect'.

[Greg Blank]

***

[polyglot]

I agree these laws are flawed. In my minds eye:The best fix would a technological one not a governed one that is unenforciable or uses methods that are questionable- draconian and that only big companies could enjoy.

While I disagree vehemently with these laws, technology can never cure a social problem. And make no mistake, how we treat IP is purely a social matter because the whole concept that "some bit-sequences have weird legal status" is purely a legal/social construct, not a technical construct.

For example, DRM is a pointless exercise. Assuming you use strong crypto, you have to give the users the decryption keys or they can't watch your products. Once they have the key, well, the crypto is pointless and they can watch/copy any DRM-"protected" content. The only thing propping up such stupid (technically) schemes are laws like DMCA that make it illegal to bypass (or even give instructions on how to bypass) a technological "protection", even if that protection is inherently weak. Stated alternatively, DMCA makes it illegal to tell someone the combination to a bank vault, even if neither they or yourself break into the vault and even if the vault contains only your own property!

SOPA and PIPA are worse again because they give publishers (note, not content producers, i.e. artists) the rights to shut people down not just on an unproven accusation of piracy, but also for linking to an accused piratical website. And website owners are entirely responsible for all content posted thereon. If I posted here a comment linking to megaupload (see below) then the LFPF forum could be blocked from the view of anyone in the USA by legal means and also technical means that seriously undermine the reliability and security of the internet, e.g. DNS pollution.

Megaupload is an interesting story. I'm quite prepared to believe there was loads of piracy occurring there, but the ruckus started when the major publishers/studios tried to shut it down with a DMCA takedown request for a promotional song. The interesting facts were:
- the promo song (http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/major-artists-record-song-to-b.html) was the original work of artists represented by Megaupload
- no part of the song was owned by Universal (http://boingboing.net/2011/12/10/universal-music-files-fraudule.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29)
- Universal sent repeated DMCA takedown requests (clearly in bad faith) to any place the video was hosted
- Universal even sent takedown requests for news stories (http://boingboing.net/2011/12/15/universal-music-uses-false-cop.html) that mentioned the Universal's poor behaviour, successfully reducing media coverage
- it seems that Universal have an arrangement with youtube (http://boingboing.net/2011/12/15/universal-music-claims-it-has.html) that allows them to demand the removal of content they don't like, even if they have no legal right to demand its removal
- Megaupload sues Universal (http://boingboing.net/2011/12/13/megaupload-will-sue-universal.html)
- Universal gets the FBI to raid the megaupload owners

It turns out that the megaupload owners are shits with a long history of shittery but the point is the incredible power these laws give the existing labels to destroy competition.

In other words, the DMCA was successfully used to kill off a new entrant to the music-distribution business and censor news stories relating to Universal's abuse of the law. SOPA and PIPA give them even broader powers, with no right-of-reply (as present in DMCA) or judicial oversight. Consider the application of those laws to all of the web services you hold dear: LFPF, APUG, Google, etc. They could all be shutdown at the whim of a publisher's accusation, without requiring evidence or oversight.

The publishers have repeatedly shown incompetence in the sending of takedowns, regularly accusing network-connected printers and grandmothers without computers of piracy. They've now pretty clearly shown bad faith and a willingness to suppress competition using any means necessary, so there is no way we should give them more power. If anything, society as a whole would arguably benefit significantly from winding back IP law.

Universal et. al. have a broken business model: they sell a product that has zero marginal cost. Distribution of recorded music used to require industrial-scale machinery but that is no longer true, hence we see established companies making a last-gasp bid to use legislation to preserve their existence. The downside is that they're prepared to destroy a much larger and more-productive economy (the rest of the internet as we know it) and significantly erode freedoms of speech in order to preserve their bottom line. It is in society's interest that they fail.

[polyglot]

PS, Canada is next. (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/6257/125/)

[QT Luong]

See reactions to the PPA lettter on their website:
http://www.ppa.com/articles/497/SOPA-and-PIPA-Dont-Be-Fooled.php

[Mike Anderson]

Here's an interesting comment to the PPA's position (http://www.ppa.com/articles/497/SOPA-and-PIPA-Dont-Be-Fooled.php) (the comment is on the linked page):



Here’s my position. I shoot commercial imagery and I shoot stock. I have found, and enforced my copyrights on images that have been pirated throughout the world without my permission - sometimes successfully, sometimes not so successfully. If the offending websites are blocked in the U.S., then I will NEVER know if my images are being pirated, and I will not be able to enforce my copyrights. Nobody is going to enforce my copyrights on my behalf…and if I don’t know about it, then I can’t enforce them either. Ignorance of the issue is not bliss…it’s opportunity for those that are stealing, to continue to steal and offer content without my knowing about it. Quite frankly, Google, and Tineye and other search engines have actually HELPED me to find those who are stealing my images. It's a very troubling position in my opinion and I cannot support in good faith.


Emphasis mine. I hadn't thought of that (emphasized) issue. This stuff is too damn complicated for non-experts to be designing controls for.

[polyglot]

Holy crap that PPA letter is willfully misleading and full of strawmen. I was going to explain exactly why it's wrong but the replies linked by QTL do a decent job.