limpid Posted May 22, 2015 Administrator Share Posted May 22, 2015 Our ability to link is under attack, and we need your help to save it! ORG is working with an international coalition of over 70 digital rights organisations, from Creative Commons to Thunderclap, to protect our ability to share content. The campaign is called Save the Link.https://savethelink.org/ We all love linking: passing on funny images, surprising stories, wise blog posts and sharp videos. But there are attacks to all of that on the horizon. What's the threat? In December 2014, Google permanently shut down the Spanish version of Google News. [1] They did this because amendments to Spanish intellectual property law imposed a compulsory fee for the use of snippets of text to link to news articles. [2] In the EU, these same lobbyists have been working with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to pressure lawmakers to upload the same Spanish link censorship laws to the entire European Union. [3] These laws will effectively censor summaries of news content, as well as linking to legal content. Let’s put a stop to this right now: Add your voice to the global network to Save the Link. Such a plan would affect over 500 million citizens’ ability to use the Internet. Imagine using Twitter and not being able to link to a news article without paying a fee. It would shut down the spread of news. This is just one way copyright is being twisted to censor the Web – but it’s far from the only way. That’s why we are part of a huge network of individuals and organizations committed to stopping these censorship plans, wherever they emerge. The bottom line is this: every successful scheme to censor links weakens the foundation of the Internet. Speak out now and tell public officials that we’ll fight to Save the Link. https://savethelink.org/ Thank you, Ruth P.S. This email is part of a global campaign called 'Save the Link' of which ORG are a member. [1] Google News in Spain https://support.google.com/news/answer/6140047?hl=es [2] Spanish Copyright Amendments Will Shakedown News Sites and Censor the Web https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/spanish-copyright-amendments-will-shakedown-news-sites-and-censor-web [3] An EU-wide ‘Google tax’ in the making?https://juliareda.eu/2014/10/an-eu-wide-google-tax-in-the-making/ ________________ Ruth Coustick-DealSupporter OfficerOpen Rights Group Follow ORG on Twitter | Find ORG on Facebook | Add ORG on Google+ ORG relies on paying supporters to run campaigns like this. Please join us to support ORG's work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tegis Posted May 22, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted May 22, 2015 Such dumb **** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwegianvillain Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 That has got to be one of the dumbest ideas I've seen. Greed at its finest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted May 22, 2015 Moderator Share Posted May 22, 2015 As the quote in the link says. It would basically break the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I'd imagine it would also be impossible to police. Look how they've managed to stop piracy..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BOF Posted May 22, 2015 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted May 22, 2015 I'd imagine it would also be impossible to police. Look how they've managed to stop piracy..... Here they are successfully stopping The Pirate Bay. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderPower_14 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of in my life. News websites actively want links to exist. It's how they make money. Its why we have to deal with clickbait titles. This makes no sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 (edited) States once again trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. The lag between what actually happens in the real world and what laws are passed means that all states are continually about 20 years behind the real world. They'll realise there's porn on the internet soon. Also the fact the most states are run by 50+ year old men doesn't help either and then when there are referendums/elections it's the retired population who have the biggest turnout. Edited May 22, 2015 by villa89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 States once again trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. The lag between what actually happens in the real world and what laws are passed means that all states are continually about 20 years behind the real world. They'll realise there's porn on the internet soon. Also the fact the most states are run by 50+ year old men doesn't help either and then when there are referendums/elections it's the retired population who have the biggest turnout. i say ban anyone over 60 from voting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I'd love to meet the genius that came up with this - he deserves to be cockpunched for the rest of his natural life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted May 22, 2015 Moderator Share Posted May 22, 2015 Signed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Correct me if I'm wrong, but the fee is for a snippet of text to go with the link, rather than for linking itself. Essentially you've to pay a royalty to use ANY of the content in the article on a third party site, providing the link doesn't seem to be an issue here 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avfc96 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Ripping off Royalties to radio station similarities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 signed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TS Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 It kind of beggars belief that we have governments trying to put limits on the freedom of information for the benefit of multinational corporations. Well, it would if it wasn't so utterly predictable. Does this have anything to do with this new EU-US trade partnership? I don't understand why we care so much about American lobbyists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 signed / shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 I've signed it, though I think the apocalyptic scenario presented is unlikely to come to pass. Nevertheless, anything which blocks access to information - and which could, in a worst case scenario, prevent people from sharing information freely through Creative Commons licenses even if they want to - needs to be opposed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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