Bungie speaks out against SOPA
By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Jan 13, 2012 4:49 pm PT
Halo creator says Stop Online Piracy Act could "cripple the kind of games we love to create," should it pass; DNS provision stripped from bill.
Halo creator Bungie is the latest high-profile gaming company to come out against the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. In a statement posted to its website today, Bungie called the bill "a messy piece of legislation."
Bungie sees SOPA as a threat. Which is to say, deploy the SPARTANS.
"Bungie is opposed to any legislation that curtails free speech, stifles innovation, and prevents the open sharing of information on the Internet," the Washington-based studio wrote. "SOPA fits that bill. If it passes, it will hurt our community, the gaming community at large, and it could very well cripple the kind of games we love to create and play."
The studio also noted that, were the bill to pass the US House of Representatives, it would "negatively impact both the games we make and the people who play them." Bungie put out a call for gamers to educate themselves by reading the bill itself, as well as contacting their representatives in Congress to speak out against the piece of legislation.
In related SOPA news, CNET reports today that the bill's champion, Rep. Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), has said that he will remove the Domain Name System provision. The DNS segment of the bill would have required Internet service providers to block websites based abroad that have been accused of piracy, according to CNET.
"After consultation with industry groups across the country," Smith said in a statement. "I feel we should remove DNS-blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the [U.S. House Judiciary] Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision. We will continue to look for ways to ensure that foreign Web sites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers."
Authors of SOPA's Senate complement, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), have also said in recent days that they will remove the DNS language from their version of the bill.
Though the Entertainment Software Association officially endorses SOPA and PIPA, a number of studios have come out against it. These include Epic Games, Riot Games, and Mojang.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/bungie-speaks-out-against-sopa-6348642?tag=updates;editor;all;title;2
Minecraft going dark January 18 in SOPA protest
By Eddie Makuch, GameSpotPosted Jan 13, 2012 10:07 am PT
Mojang boss Markus Persson says Minecraft.net, Mojang.com will be taken offline next week in stand against controversial legislation.
1
The controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has already pushed Red 5 Studios to shut down the beta and website for Firefall on January 18, but now, an even more prominent game company is readying a blackout to be held on the same day.
Minecraft.net and Mojang.com will be "blocked" next week.
Mojang studio head Markus Persson today announced via Twitter that Minecraft.net and Mojang.com will be taken offline on January 18 in protest of SOPA. Persson did not say how long the blackout will last.
While the browser-based version of Minecraft will be unavailable through Minecraft.net during the downtime, gamers can still play the game if they have previously downloaded it.
Mojang joins Epic Games, Runic Games, Riot Games, and Red 5 Studios as game companies openly professing disapproval of SOPA. However, not all gaming entities are against the measure. The Entertainment Software Association--the game industry's representative body--has pledged its support for SOPA. According to the ESA, the game industry requires effective protection against the illegal acquisition of games and those who facilitate it.
Companies that support the bill--including the National Football League and GameSpot parent company CBS--argue that it offers necessary protection to content creators. Opponents of the bill, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue that SOPA infringes upon First Amendment rights and will ultimately deprive the Internet of non-infringing content.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/minecr...rotest-6348603?tag=updates;editor;all;title;7
By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Jan 13, 2012 4:49 pm PT
Halo creator says Stop Online Piracy Act could "cripple the kind of games we love to create," should it pass; DNS provision stripped from bill.
Halo creator Bungie is the latest high-profile gaming company to come out against the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. In a statement posted to its website today, Bungie called the bill "a messy piece of legislation."
Bungie sees SOPA as a threat. Which is to say, deploy the SPARTANS.
"Bungie is opposed to any legislation that curtails free speech, stifles innovation, and prevents the open sharing of information on the Internet," the Washington-based studio wrote. "SOPA fits that bill. If it passes, it will hurt our community, the gaming community at large, and it could very well cripple the kind of games we love to create and play."
The studio also noted that, were the bill to pass the US House of Representatives, it would "negatively impact both the games we make and the people who play them." Bungie put out a call for gamers to educate themselves by reading the bill itself, as well as contacting their representatives in Congress to speak out against the piece of legislation.
In related SOPA news, CNET reports today that the bill's champion, Rep. Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), has said that he will remove the Domain Name System provision. The DNS segment of the bill would have required Internet service providers to block websites based abroad that have been accused of piracy, according to CNET.
"After consultation with industry groups across the country," Smith said in a statement. "I feel we should remove DNS-blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the [U.S. House Judiciary] Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision. We will continue to look for ways to ensure that foreign Web sites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers."
Authors of SOPA's Senate complement, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), have also said in recent days that they will remove the DNS language from their version of the bill.
Though the Entertainment Software Association officially endorses SOPA and PIPA, a number of studios have come out against it. These include Epic Games, Riot Games, and Mojang.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/bungie-speaks-out-against-sopa-6348642?tag=updates;editor;all;title;2
Minecraft going dark January 18 in SOPA protest
By Eddie Makuch, GameSpotPosted Jan 13, 2012 10:07 am PT
Mojang boss Markus Persson says Minecraft.net, Mojang.com will be taken offline next week in stand against controversial legislation.
1
The controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has already pushed Red 5 Studios to shut down the beta and website for Firefall on January 18, but now, an even more prominent game company is readying a blackout to be held on the same day.
Minecraft.net and Mojang.com will be "blocked" next week.
Mojang studio head Markus Persson today announced via Twitter that Minecraft.net and Mojang.com will be taken offline on January 18 in protest of SOPA. Persson did not say how long the blackout will last.
While the browser-based version of Minecraft will be unavailable through Minecraft.net during the downtime, gamers can still play the game if they have previously downloaded it.
Mojang joins Epic Games, Runic Games, Riot Games, and Red 5 Studios as game companies openly professing disapproval of SOPA. However, not all gaming entities are against the measure. The Entertainment Software Association--the game industry's representative body--has pledged its support for SOPA. According to the ESA, the game industry requires effective protection against the illegal acquisition of games and those who facilitate it.
Companies that support the bill--including the National Football League and GameSpot parent company CBS--argue that it offers necessary protection to content creators. Opponents of the bill, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue that SOPA infringes upon First Amendment rights and will ultimately deprive the Internet of non-infringing content.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/minecr...rotest-6348603?tag=updates;editor;all;title;7
