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Top VCs Tell Congress: PROTECT IP Will Harm Innovation
from the good-for-them dept
The bill is ripe for abuse, as it allows rights-holders to require third-parties to block access to and take away revenues sources for online services, with limited oversight and due process.As one of the VCs behind the letter, Brad Burnham, noted in his blog post about the bill, unlike most of the support for PROTECT IP, this is not a "usual group" of lobbyists. This is not an organized group or a trade organization. This is a bunch of very concerned people with their finger on the pulse of innovation, who are quite scared of the bill:In particular:
By requiring "information location tools" -- potentially encompassing any "director[ies], index[es], reference[s], pointer[s], or hypertext link[s]" -- to remove access to entire domains, the bill puts burdens on countless Internet services.
By requiring access to sites to be blocked by Domain Name System providers, it endangers the security and integrity of the Internet.
The bill's private right of action will no doubt be used by many rights-holders in ways that create significant burdens on legitimate online commerce services. The scope of orders and cost of litigation could be significant, even for companies acting in good faith.
While we understand PIPA was originally intended to deal with “rogue” foreign sites, we think PIPA will ultimately put American innovators and investors at a clear disadvantage in the global economy. For one, services dedicated to infringement will simply make their sites easy to find and access in other ways, and determined users who want to find blocked content will simply shift to services outside the reach of U.S. law, in turn giving a leg up to foreign search engines, DNS providers, social networks, and others. Second, PIPA creates a dangerous precedent and a convenient excuse for countries to engage in protectionism and censorship against U.S. services. These countries will point to PIPA as precedent for taking action against U.S. technology and Internet companies.
Venture capitalists are notoriously apolitical. We believe in markets. We are not asking for tax breaks or favorable regulatory rulings, we are asking for restraint.Unfortunately, chances are their pleas will be ignored, in part because they're not a big lobbying organization. However, anyone supporting PROTECT IP would be smart to take a look at who's speaking here, note that these are not the usual folks who speak up about what's going on in DC, and recognize that this isn't just a standard complaint. These are people who are legitimately worried about the impact of such a bill on American innovation.
The group of venture capitalists who joined us in expressing concern about S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act ("PIPA") represent a broad range of political views. We share a passion for start-ups and a conviction that young companies are a fantastic source of productive innovation. This group is responsible for a significant amount of investment in the U.S. economy.
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Reader Comments (rss)
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Score!
Exactly! Obviously someone gets it! It doesn't matter if it is/is not legal here in the U.S. The internet is global, if there is a demand, you will be able to find it..... You want to stop pirates?! Kill the demand by servicing the customer!
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sounds like a bunch of thieving terroristic paedophiles to me
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VCs have little interest in IP laws, they just get in the way of a fast buck.
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Give me a fucking break.
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Then their opinions don't matter.
Besides, I'm pretty sure all those signatories just want free music. I mean, I haven't looked into it but I have no problem demonizing those who have other ideas. It makes not listening to them much easier.
Now I'm off to cloak myself in the self-righteousness of paid-for laws.
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Just a bunch of pirates alarmed about /other/ pirates.
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The fact that, without an existing trade group, a huge group of them all signed on to and agreed on an open letter to Congress disproves that.
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"VCs have little interest in IP laws, they just get in the way of a fast buck."
Assuming that is correct, because we all know that so many companies funded by VC's turn around a huge windfall in a short period of time, what's wrong with that concept? Investing wisely in someone's innovation for profit.
I suppose it's just not as great a business model as getting a lifetime monopoly rent (that wipes out the incentive to innovate).
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It's the Coalition of The Obsolete!
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Biggest non-sequitur in history.
To make a profit when the company goes public you need some assets on the balance sheet. I would have thought that IP would be exactly the kind of thing they would need if they were intending to cut and run. The fact that they don't is actually mildly surprising and refreshing.
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Bankers
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VCs come up with trendy BS that usually disappears within a few years.
Anyway, a bunch of technerds lobbying for their fellow geeks is going to get one giant yawn from Congress.
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Ummmm ya, I don't think so!
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You sir, are a fucktard!
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Unsupported assertion.
VCs come up with trendy BS that usually disappears within a few years.
Successful ones that survive as VCs long term can't possibly be doing that.
Anyway, a bunch of technerds lobbying for their fellow geeks is going to get one giant yawn from Congress.
After the unappealing namecalling (why is it that that those who lack technical expertise are so ready to insult those who have, through abil;ity and hard work, mastered a difficult discipline?) you then come up with another assertion that can only be justified on the basis that you know Congress is either as ignorant as you are or has been bribed to behave as if they were.
How do you know
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Re: Bankers
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The VC crowd can cry all the way to their banks.
Time to get this law passed. If it's not the right version, work together to FIX IT and then PASS IT.
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Health Care you said... Just pass it and fix it... they passed it and still nothings changed but the money being passed around.
Patriot Act... Just pass it and fix it the "terrorist are winning" .... Didn't work
Monetize the Debt... Just do it and fix it later... BAD IDEAS AND BAD LAWS DONT GET FIXED... and THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED...
Your just reversing the order and it STILL WONT WORK... basic logic tells you the idea is a FAIL... the process is a FAIL and no matter how hard you shill we know its a fail and that wont change... What will change is how we work the internet (oh yea thats right the people you hate so much know and run the internet and we will route around you)
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My original point is only that VC's aren't in it for the development or the great discoveries, they are in it to turn their pile of money into a large pile of money. Legal issues, copyright, trademarks, and patents all get in the way of the "short cycle" from idea to IPO or Google buyout.
It's like asking drug dealers if drugs should be legalized. Why not, right?
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Or they can give larger donations for a higher RoI from Congress, and make them pay attention. The best VCs can turn over a couple a billion dollars a year, whcih is taxed at every level, earning the Government more money (even from the flops).
All the US is doing is driving VCs away to invest elsewhere. [sarc]The VCs are theiving pirates who want a free lunch![/sarc]
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I mean think of it, If these things pass, which is highly likely, the knock on effect will mean that other more democratic, innovative, and less protectionist countries will be able to fill the gap that these bills will enable. Investement will flow from the current regime of America and that a new Silicon Valley will be developed in other major, and non-centralised places around the world.
Knowledge will be able to flow more freely since things like the DMCA, Encryption Export compliance, "National US Security" fallacies, etc.
Bring on PROTECT IP, etc I say... the more the better for humanity as a whole.
PS: For those Americans that these Bills will affect I offer my condolences for the soon to be loss of your economy, scientific community, and brightest people. Though you could always immigrate away from the USSA ;)
PPS: Since I am from Australia this comment really isn't that sarcastic... sorry
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According to that thesis VCs shouldn't really exist there should only be wannabee VCs (who haven't yet had a success) and ex VCs (who have retired on the proceeds.
My original point is only that VC's aren't in it for the development or the great discoveries, they are in it to turn their pile of money into a large pile of money.
There are many easier ways to do that than being a VC.
Legal issues, copyright, trademarks, and patents all get in the way of the "short cycle" from idea to IPO or Google buyout.
Actually copyrights, trademarks and patents are supposed to be the main things that you sell in the IPO or buyout. They are supposed to be the mechanism which makes abstract things tradeable.
It's like asking drug dealers if drugs should be legalized. Why not, right?
Drug dealers would certainly oppose repealing the laws which create their criminal business opportunity.
They could not survive in the face of legal competition.
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Remember, it's these guys that help sMEs the most. IF they don't invest, the economy cannot grow. This will spiral into a Great Depresssion-style stagflation ecomnomy for the US.
It appears that you think this will not happen. I ecpect it will.
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This will appeal to the rogue lawfirms.
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You would trust a VC ?
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You would trust a VC ?
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Rock Paper Scissors Lizzard Spock Congress...
As long as they're the lapdogs of the entertainment industry, they will sabotage, kill, hamper, impede or otherwise demand the destruction of what they're told is bad for their benefactors.
If the automobile industry was as 'with it' as the RIAA, they'd lobby congress about car thefts. Think of the BILLIONS in sales the auto makers lose becasue of all the car thieves out there. Oh, how the woes of the big union automakers would be solved if we'd just make stealing cars illegal!! Thiefs would then be forced to buy that new BMW instead of stealing it. After all, the RIAA says that for every theft, there is a sale that is lost. The HAVE to be right, don't they?
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Re: You would trust a VC ?
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Re: You would trust a VC ?
You have no idea what a VC does, do you? They have nothing to do with sub-prime loans and credit default swaps.
I mean, seriously, there's a list of who signed this above. It's not even that hard to look up what they've done.
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PROTECT IP will also take away access to affordable meds
The PROTECT IP Act’s overarching language fails to make a distinction between rogue online pharmacies that do not require valid prescriptions and trusted, legitimate pharmacies that do. The bill would cut off a virtual lifeline that over a million Americans depend on for their needed medicine (they can't afford the price of drugs at home at home).
RxRights is a national coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting American consumer access to sources of safe, affordable prescription drugs. The Coalition is encouraging consumers to take action now by sending letters to Congress and President Obama urging them to protect our right to safe, affordable medications. For more information or to voice your concern, visit www.RxRights.org.
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