EA, Sony and Nintendo Withdraw SOPA Support - UPDATED

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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EA, Sony and Nintendo Withdraw SOPA Support - UPDATED


Sony, Nintendo and Electronic Arts have all withdrawn their support of SOPA, but the Entertainment Software Association is still hanging in.

The Stop Online Piracy Act, better known as SOPA, is bad news. Bringing piracy to heel is a noble goal but imposing sweeping, arbitrary laws that can force websites offline with almost no judicial oversight isn't the way to go about it. The average guy on the internet may not care much one way or the other [probably because he's not even aware of what's going on] but some backlash is beginning to be felt: Go Daddy dropped its support [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114936-Go-Daddy-Drops-SOPA-Support-After-Boycott-Threat] for SOPA a couple of weeks ago following calls for a boycott of its services and now Sony, Nintendo and Electronic Arts have all followed suit - sort of.

Sony Electronics, Nintendo and Elecronic Arts, which had previously thrown their weight behind the proposed legislation, are now all notably absent from the most recent list of SOPA supporters [http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of%20SOPA%20Supporters.pdf]. Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Nashville remain on the list, which is unfortunate, but of greater concern is the continued presence of the Entertainment Software Association, the industry association which counts among its members Sony, Nintendo and EA. The support is still there, in other words, less direct and better camouflaged but still very much a part of the process pushing for the implementation of SOPA.

As long as the ESA remains onboard, the pro-SOPA side can claim that the videogame industry as a whole - including Sony, Nintendo and EA - are firmly behind the initiative. And that may very well be the case; this could very well be nothing more than an attempt to score some points with the rabble while letting its industry association do the dirty work. Unless and until the ESA itself steps back from the affair, hopefully with an appropriate level of fanfare, pulling their names off that list doesn't add up to much in my book.

UPDATE: Our unenthusiastic half-props for decoupling themselves from SOPA may have been a little premature as, according to Scribd [http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120103/00304017255/no-sony-electronics-nintendo-ea-have-not-publicly-changed-their-position-sopa.shtml] includes Go Daddy and a number of law firms which demanded their names be removed in December. Notably absent, however, are Sony, Nintendo and Electronic Arts.

The trio had signed their names to a letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global IP Center, released in support of SOPA-like legislation, but had never actually directly endorsed SOPA itself, which is why their names aren't on the list. They haven't changed their position on anything, and while it's better than nothing that none of them have explicitly come out in favor of the proposed law, the fact that the ESA is still pushing hard [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115025-ESA-Refuses-To-Pull-SOPA-Support] for it remains deeply discouraging.

Thanks to -Dragmire- [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/-Dragmire-] for the tip.

Source: Destructoid [http://www.destructoid.com/ea-nintendo-sony-reduce-sopa-support-by-50--218742.phtml]


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vrbtny

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Sep 16, 2009
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Wait.... SOPA are being clever? You know, not being totally heavy-handed and so obvious everyone can see it.

We could be in for trouble.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Well, it's not like the U.S. House of Representatives is a rogue site...

Oh wait... [http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111227/03300217199/us-house-representatives-is-rogue-site.shtml]

SOPA : Shutdown over petty actions.
 

Omnific One

New member
Apr 3, 2010
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Wow, they are really desperate for support. Read the supporter list.

"True Religion Brand Jeans"
Please allow me to choke to death from laughing.
 

RA92

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Jan 1, 2011
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This has very little to do with piracy.

Look at Valve. Not only does piracy of their own games hurt them, piracy of every PC game available on their store potentially hurt them as well. And they aren't behind this.

And Sony? Are you asking for another bumrape?
 

Steve the Pocket

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Mar 30, 2009
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Raiyan 1.0 said:
Look at Valve. Not only does piracy of their own games hurt them, piracy of every PC game available on their store potentially hurt them as well. And they aren't behind this.
Actually, let's do look at Valve. Do they belong to the ESA? It would be odd if they didn't, considering how big of a name they are.

*opens Wikipedia*

*checks list*

Huh. They're not. In fact, they're not even the biggest name absent from the list; Activision dropped out back in 2008. That'd be like if, say, Paramount dropped out of the MPAA, or something.
 

RaikuFA

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Jun 12, 2009
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Capcom is part of this SOPA as well.

This past year they've just shot themselves in the foot over and over again and now this.
 

Snotnarok

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Nov 17, 2008
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RaikuFA said:
Capcom is part of this SOPA as well.

This past year they've just shot themselves in the foot over and over again and now this.
Let's not forget Capcom is on the asshat-DRM list too. Some of their games are unplayable unless you're online or let's not forget their 3DS game with 1 save only. They're not smart with their anti-piracy stuff, much like Ubisoft.

Edit: Had to fix some derps in there.
 

Intensifizer

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Jan 18, 2009
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So just like GoDaddy, they "withdrew support" but will continue to do so through the ESA and political donations.

What a bunch of fucking scumbags.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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So, have you ever heard of one of those government projects that people are SO geared up about and shoot funding into, but they have been told time and again that it's not going to work no matter how much support they put into it? You know...like a certain project whose name is after a movie franchise that has been going on since the Reagan Adminitration and STILL they think they've got something going for it?

That's what this is about.

Popcorn, anyone?
 

ArchAngelKira

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Mar 25, 2010
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Why isn't Microsoft speaking out against it? There's a website that supports 360 users "Roosterteeth" they might be one of those sites that could be shut down to. Even the escapist might be at risk here!
 

Redlin5_v1legacy

Better Red than Dead
Aug 5, 2009
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FalloutJack said:
Popcorn, anyone?


Unless they announce, just flat out announce that they are not supporting SOPA in any way; I'm not believing it. Taking your name off a list doesn't mean you're not still behind the cause.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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vrbtny said:
Wait.... SOPA are being clever? You know, not being totally heavy-handed and so obvious everyone can see it.

We could be in for trouble.
SOPA's not being clever. A few of its supporters MIGHT be playing things shrewd, though.

The_root_of_all_evil said:
Oh wait... [http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111227/03300217199/us-house-representatives-is-rogue-site.shtml]
The Feds: Busting you for doing what they do privately since....Well, ever.

Honestly, with the folks who crusade against adultery, homosexuality, and pedophilia (In the lay sense, not the strict definition) but practice it, is it any surprise they're also against (but practicing) piracy?

FalloutJack said:
So, have you ever heard of one of those government projects that people are SO geared up about and shoot funding into, but they have been told time and again that it's not going to work no matter how much support they put into it? You know...like a certain project whose name is after a movie franchise that has been going on since the Reagan Adminitration and STILL they think they've got something going for it?

That's what this is about.

Popcorn, anyone?
Star Wars didn't make random folks felons.

ArchAngelKira said:
Why isn't Microsoft speaking out against it? There's a website that supports 360 users "Roosterteeth" they might be one of those sites that could be shut down to. Even the escapist might be at risk here!
So because Microsoft is okay with Rooster Teeth, they will oppose SOPA? Nah. Microsoft wants to punish pirates as bad as the rest of the lot. I doubt they'd stop that over Rooster Teeth.

There are people to punish, after all.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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Zachary Amaranth said:
Star Wars didn't make random folks felons.
No, it's just a regular drain on economy. My point was that this is the same bullheadedness. It's the case of dimwitted people trying to look important doing something they think is clever when it's not, because it can't work and it's stupid. But there's so much riding on it that they keep pushing out of sheer moronic determination.
 

Sarah Frazier

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Dec 7, 2010
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Redlin5 said:
FalloutJack said:
Popcorn, anyone?


Unless they announce flat out announce that they are not supporting SOPA in any way I'm not believing it. Taking your name off a list doesn't mean you're not still behind the cause.
This is exactly what I've been thinking. Companies can, and will, use sub-groups or outside associations to keep supporting what their customers don't want. Freaking politics.
 

Baradiel

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Mar 4, 2009
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ArchAngelKira said:
Why isn't Microsoft speaking out against it? There's a website that supports 360 users "Roosterteeth" they might be one of those sites that could be shut down to. Even the escapist might be at risk here!
Well, RVB isn't going to be effected either way (or was that another anti-piracy bill that was proposed?). They've gotten permission from Bungie, 343i and Microsoft to use Halo games (at least the current ones).

However, Machinima would probably be in trouble...

I just hate how a proposal like this could ever be considered by any country pretending to be a free democracy. I know it isn't, but at least they could keep up the pretense!!