Stop SOPA Ireland

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Friday January 27, 2012 10:01

by Indyjourno

Sean Sherlock, Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, has introduced new legislation that is being called Irelands SOPA. The legislation is being introduced as a statutory instrument which means that it will be implemented by the signature of the Minster and not a vote in the Dáil.

Take action. Protect the Irish Internet from censorship

The legislation will give Courts the powers to block ISP’s and other intermediaries who provide services that might possibly be used for copyright infringement. It is similar to the SOPA legislation that was recently proposed and then dropped in the US after major websites like Wikepedia demonstrated against the proposals by blacking out for a day.

In Ireland the law is being introduced due to pressure from the music industry who are currently suing the Irish government for failing to provide legislative provisions for blocking, diverting and interrupting internet after a High Court decision in October 2010 of High Court Judge Peter Charleton in EMI V UPC where he held that Irish law did not permit an order to be made against an ISP requiring blocking of websites.

There is due to be a discussion of the legislation in the Dáil next week

Contact your local TD's to protest this legislation
http://www.contact.ie/webform/stop-sopa-and-acta-ireland

For further details
http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98sop...2012/
http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/reader-irelands-sopa-a-faq/
http://www.tjmcintyre.com/2012/01/music-industry-sues-i....html
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Ireland-SOPA-Sean-Sher....html
http://stopsopaireland.com/#2

What passes as "debate" on this important issue in our parliament by Mr Sherlock before fast tracking it through without a vote:
http://www.thejournal.ie/sherlock-still-committed-to-signing-imminent-copyright-law-338173-Jan2012/
Basically "we're putting this through no matter what. But ye should all have a nice "organic" debate about it afterwards when it's too late"