Skip to main content

Sony, EA, Nintendo drop explicit SOPA support

stop-sopa-pipa
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act—SOPA—is spreading from the world of the Internet to the worlds of big business and politics, and a quiet update to the list of companies and organizations willing to put their names down as supporters of SOPA reveals the proposed legislation is losing supporters. Along with domain registrar GoDaddy—which kicked off a firestorm of backlash for its SOPA support before doing an about-face—game makers Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Sony Computer Entertainment have also had their names removed from the House Judiciary Committee’s list of SOPA supporters (PDF).

Recommended Videos

The Stop Online Piracy Act—and its companion piece, the Protect IP Act—are intended to provide mechanism for publishers, trademark, and copyright holders to get sites taken offline for offering unauthorized or counterfeit goods, whether physical items or digital downloads. Among other things, the bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a felony. What’s more, the way SOPA is worded, content owners would in theory have the right to demand Web site be taken down merely for linking to content that potentially infringes on a copyright—including having the allegedly-infringing site’s domain blacklisted and its advertising and transaction revenue suspended.

SOPA’s authors claim the proposed legislation is intended to protect copyright and intellectual property from piracy, especially by overseas Web sites. Opponents claim SOPA amounts to wonton Internet censorship and would drastically infringe on rights to free speech.

The defection of game-makers like Sony Computer Entertainment, EA, and Nintendo may represent a genuine reconsideration of the firms’ original support for the bill, or may simply be a public relations move in the wake of the shellacking given to domain registrar GoDaddy for its support of the measure. And it’s worth noting that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is still listed as an official supporter of the bill—and Sony, EA, and Nintendo are all major members of the ESA. Other Sony divisions are still listed as supporters as well, including Sony Music. Other high-profile SOPA supporters include Viacom, Visa, News Corp., publishers like Random House and Penguin, the NFL, Disney, music royalty organizations BMI and ASCAP, Marvell, Time Warner, and Comcast.

Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
This AMD-powered MSI gaming PC with RTX 4060 is 10% off today
The MSI Aegis Z2 gaming PC on a white background.

You're going to want to take advantage of any discount that you encounter when shopping for gaming PC deals, as these machines can get pretty expensive. Here's an offer from Amazon to consider: the MSI Aegis Z2 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card at $143 off, which brings its price down from $1,400 to $1,257. That's a pretty nice bargain for a gaming desktop of this caliber, but you're going to have to hurry with your purchase if you want to make sure that you get it at 10% off. The offer may be gone as soon as tomorrow!

Why you should buy the MSI Aegis Z2 gaming PC

Read more
You may have access to hundreds of free games you’re not taking advantage of
Living room with Microsoft Xbox Series X (L) and Sony PlayStation 5 home video game consoles alongside a television and soundbar.

Ever since Nintendo was the first to breach the $80 threshold for games with Mario Kart World, the concerns over game prices have been top of mind across the industry. Between tariffs, inflation, cost of living, and what appears to be an inevitable recession right around the corner, I have already been preparing for how I can be a more discerning consumer of games.

There are tons of ways to be more thrifty with our favorite hobby. You can wait for sales, trade and borrow games, rely more on subscription services like PlayStation Plus and Game Pass, or just stick to the wealth of free-to-play games. But there's one resource I never see brought up that could give you access to a huge library of major titles for free: your local library.

Read more
In a sea of giant games, Rematch’s simplicity is a gift
A screenshot of players celebrating in Rematch.

There are a lot of words I’d use to describe Rematch, the new multiplayer soccer game from Sifu developer Sloclap. It’s fun, it’s approachable, it’s elegant. But there’s one word I wouldn't use: ambitious. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way; in fact, that’s exactly what I love about it.

Rematch needs little setup or explanation to get across what it is, which separates it from so many modern, formula-twisting video games. It’s an online multiplayer soccer game where teams of three to five, depending on the playlist, compete in six minute matches. The teams are dropped on a basic pitch, the only notable twist of which is that all the sides are walled off. Players pass, block, and shoot and the team with the most points at the end wins. There are no gimmicks, no tricks, and no flourishes like flying cars that make for a cool sales pitch. It’s just soccer.

Read more