Archives for January 2012

Global PIPA / SOPA protests are a go.  #NoPIPASF

Websites all over the globe are going Dark to protest radical copyright legislation.

Tech meetup groups around the country are joining forces to rally against PIPA.

Join us for a rally in San Francisco on Wednesday starting at 12:00pm

Ron Conway will be speaking

If you are joining in having your site go down, here’s a blackout script:   https://github.com/SaraJo/SOPA-PIPA-Protest…

In detail:

Tech Startups are one of the few bright spots on the global economy.  We were under threat from SOPA, and are still under threat from PIPA, or whatever the media moguls decide to call their protectionist agenda next.

Right now, we’re being written off as a loud but unimportant vocal minority.

We need to educate the population at large, clearly and succinctly.

Our memes:

We are the job creators
Tech companies are bringing the economy back from the brink
Laws like SOPA and PIPA break the internet
If PIPA gets made into law, startups will die
Radical, protectionist copyright legislation like PIPA is terrible for the economy
We want media moguls to innovate, not legislate
These laws are job killers.

Please join us.

SF New Tech is joining forces with Hackers & Founders and other tech meetup organizers around the country.  We’ll be holding rallies in SF, New York, Washington DC, Seattle and Silicon Valley to put a public face to the online protests and blackouts that are still moving forward this Wednesday.

Silicon Valley groups involved:

Hackers & Founders,
106 Miles,
SV NewTech,
Designers and Geeks,
Hacks & Hackers,
Electronic Frontier Foundation,

invite everyone you can…

The Problem:

Even though the DNS blocking provisions have been removed from the Senate PIPA bill it is still toxic.

Both California Senators, Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein are co sponsors of the PIPA bill in the Senate.  We need registered voters to call / email Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer’s offices and voice their opposition to these bills and to voice their opposition to radical copyright laws like these.

The goals:

1. Give a human face to the online protests this Wednesday

2. Have a phone call drive to have people call their Senators and representatives right then and there.

3. Focus media attention to the largest legislative threat the internet and startups have ever faced.

4. Educate the public about how toxic this legislation would be to technology startups.

5. Be calm, respectful, stay off the sidewalks and clean up after ourselves.

To pull this off, we need:

As many people as possible to attend rallies around the country on Wednesday

Attract national media attention.

Convince as many people as possible to call / email their senators their opposition to these bills and the radical copyright agenda of the media moguls of the MPAA and RIAA.

Pro Tip:

What lobbyists do is simply convince as many people as possible to call their Senators and Representatives and register opposition to a bill.

Let’s do this.

Senator Barbara Boxer‘s contact information:

DC: 202-224-3553
District: (510) 286-8537

or email her via Contact Congress.

Instructions on what to say to register your opposition.

Senator Diane Feinstein‘s contact information:

DC: 202-224-3841
District: 415-393-0707

or email her via Contact Congress.

Instructions on what to say to register your opposition.

Majority Senate leader Harry Reid
888 291 9860 (leave a comment)

Judiciary Committee

(ask for them and leave your message)
(202) 225 3951

*** BIG THANKS TO JONATHAN NELSON AND HACKERS & FOUNDERS FOR TAKING CHARGE!  WITH THEIR PERMISSION WE LIFTED A BUNCH OF THEIR COPY FOR THIS EVENT. ***