Platform holders Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo, along with publisher EA have pulled support for the Stop Online Piracy Act introduced by the United States House of Representatives in October last year.
However, many have argued it is a threat to freedom of speech that could afford people the power to shut down websites at individual discretion, could be abused for cencorship purposes, and significantly impact user-generated content such as YouTube videos.
Although the three companies are no longer listed as supporters of the bill they are all still members of the Entertainment Software Association, which is still backing the bill.
Sony also has a presence through Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Nashville.
The withdrawal comes shortly after notorious hacking group Anonymous pledged to destroy Sony's network for providing its support to SOPA.
"Your support of the act is a signed death warrant to Sony Company and Associates. Therefore, yet again, we have decided to destroy your network. We will dismantle your phantom from the internet. Prepare to be extinguished. Justice will be swift, and it will be for the people, whether some like it or not," the group said in a statement.
Reports suggest Sony's console has been opened up to piracy again via a new PS3 hack.
Comments
32 comments so far...
KippDynamite on 3 Jan '12 said:
Microsoft?
KesMonkey on 3 Jan '12 said:
http://www.firstpost.com/tech/microsoft-opposes-sopa-whilst-pipa-faces-filibuster-138683.html
JBoo on 3 Jan '12 said:
I hope not. Don't let ***** like 'Anonymous' tell you what you can do or not do :-/
markyR on 3 Jan '12 said:
The withdrawal comes shortly after notorious hacking group Anonymous pledged to destroy Sony's network for providing its support to SOPA.
Another reason I have absolutely no support for those idiots camping outside St Pauls. When it's done of the back of this joke of a group of low life pathetic scum hackers. I seriously hope this is the year they are brought down hard! Don't let the gits push you around Sony.
BlueScorpion91 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Anonymous are really starting to get on my nerves. I mean, if there fighting for freedom of speech and act, doesn't that mean that company's have the freedom to protect there "honest-earned" money, and support who they like without fear of being opposed by people who's still upset that there computer broke about 20 year ago and couldn't get a refund. Dicks!
FatChickThriller on 3 Jan '12 said:
I fully support Anonymous, It's about time big business computer software and hardware developers got knocked down a peg or too. The SOPA Bill is just a footstep away from a fully realized pay as you go internet. So to hell with anyone that supports it. I have seen how these companies like Sony, Microsoft, Apple have grown and slowly but surely become more greedier constantly looking for new and interesting ways to screw their customers with the passing of every fiscal year enough is enough and I am glad that Anonymous have had enough too.
BlueScorpion91 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Ok, you are clearly just a t**t. For one thing, these company's ain't making people give them money. And "pay as you go internet"? We pay for it anyway you fool. At the end of the day, everyone who comes to this site loves games, and respect the people who make them for us. So why is it too much to ask for people to pay them what they deserve?
nathar on 3 Jan '12 said:
Yeah i hate to agree with Anonymous, but nothing good can come from SOPA. Good on Sony and the others for realising this will be the death of the internet as we know it, putting the power into the hands of the few instead of letting it be a creative output source for the masses.
Piracy is bad, SOPA is the way worse. I highly doubt Anonymous had anything to do with pulling of support for SOPA. I would imagine its a decision based on the fact SOPA is batsh*t insane.
TechnoWolf on 3 Jan '12 said:
This would make a great soap opera.
gmcb007 on 3 Jan '12 said:
SOPA will be an absolute nightmare if it passes. You will never be able to kill off piracy. They will always find a new way and this act will just help boost the support for piracy. As for the publishers whinging about piracy, I can't respect them seeing how they love to rip off their customers.
BlueScorpion91 on 3 Jan '12 said:
And how do they rip us off exactly?
gmcb007 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Well look at half of the DLC that has came out this year. For example, LA Noire sold cases that were so badly cut from the main game that they still contained some of the main storyline!
Bioshock 2 had 'DLC' that was literally just a key to access 2 multiplayer characters that where already on the disc:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/23 ... y-on-disc/
Capcom done the same with their Marvel V Capcom:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/28 ... y-on-disc/
Then you look at activison's history who are the masters of greed. There is many other examples of it.
Lastly, Sony require that only their offical memory cards can be used for Vita:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/33 ... cessories/
You can get 4GB SD cards for as cheap as £3 while Sony are charging £17.99! Tell me that is not ripping people off!
markyR on 3 Jan '12 said:
DLC is hardly an excuse for supporting piracy is it! You haven't got a gun held to your head forcing you to pay for extra content.
Activision? WTF??? Let me see, they own the biggest and most successful gaming franchise on the planet and it sells millions and millions no matter the cost, I would actually class COD as great value for money because I WILL PLAY IT ALL YEAR! Not sure what else lasts all year for £45? Please do tell. Again no grounds to support piracy.
And as for the VITA, Sony are trying there hardest to STOP piracy and so you complain
again you can get the cheapest memory card and buy the game in a box.. again no argument to support piracy, in fact that's your weakest argument as the PSP was destroyed by hacking thieves and I fully support Sony to do ALL they can to stop it on the VITA. If that means proprietary memory cards then so be it, and I bet a £3 SD card doesn't have enough speed to run a VITA game!
BlueScorpion91 on 3 Jan '12 said:
But that isn't ripping people off though is it, because you know what your buying. Being ripped off is like being sold an iPod brand new, only to find it's broke, that's a rip off. You can't claim to ripped if you buy that stuff of your own volition, or just don't buy it at all.
gmcb007 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Did I say I support piracy?
I just said they whinge about losing money when at the same time they rip us off enough to actually encourage people to swing towards piracy. I should have guessed you would defend the vita pricing. They just use the combat piracy as a front to charge us that. They may not be forcing us to buy the DLC but i'm sick of buying games on release and feeling like I have only got a semi completed game like Saints Row The Third.
@blue
Well it is a rip off when there is content ALREADY on the disc and you have to pay EXTRA to use it. That is ripping people off. You expect to buy the full product, not most of it without additonal charge.
Imaduck on 3 Jan '12 said:
After finally watching V for Vendetta, and properly understanding where anonymous get their inspiration...... I can't in any way ever, even drunk, or stoned or dead, or blind, deaf or braindead, support them or believe their intentions were ever properly thought out. V for Vendetta was the biggest load of s**te I've watched in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time, in fact it's the dumbest film I've ever seen, except for Hugo Weaving, he was awesome as ever
Basically, this is 1 group of blind morons fighting other blind morons. Anonymous is actually starting to become exactly what they surely set out to stop anyways? Here they are pushing the buttons and telling people what they can and can't do with threats backed by an unhinged, unmoderated, uncontrolled power that they've built by basically bullying people (yes even dicks can be bullied). Lolwoops? At least with the likes of Sony there's a chance (be it less so thanks to their new T+C) that they will be held to account for their actions. What do you do if anonymous does something criminal?
They seem to see themselves as some sort of online justice team of f**king comic book heroes, but really they're just hackers with terrible inspiration and no long term goal or plan but to pick on everyone they disagree with. I can't actually name one thing they've done which has helped gamers or anyone! For example: hacks by the likes of them led to the PSN problems, which led to new tighter T+C
EVERYONE is getting hacked these days, from the most deserving to the least, they've made it all the rage and started trying to convince people that hacking from your basement is a noble path. So who in the f**k have they helped?!
To answer the title question: yes, they did. I very much doubt either will admit it, but you lot know it as well as I do.
KMakawa on 3 Jan '12 said:
I'm all for people attacking Anonymous on what people are perceiving as "Forcing sony to pull out of this, due to that threat".. but 1) We only know the surface of the reason why Sony pulled out, and it may not be at all linked to Anonymous...
In any case though, these companys should not be backing SOPA - and if you knew what it was, you would not too. The Stop Online Piracy Act can go as far as send someone to court (or get their internet blocked) just for posting lets say... Game trailers on YouTube... or Commentating over those trailers.. or even someone that makes a 'cover' of a song.
This is not what the Internet was built for, SOPA can fundamentally change how the internet is used.. SOPA shouldn't be allowed through, and the more that oppose it.. the better. Whether its the dirty team of Anonymous or not.. They are opposing something evil.
markyR on 3 Jan '12 said:
So SOPA is going to enforce copyright laws then? I mean you kind break them anyway by posting game vids online do you not? I know that you cannot play copyright music or films, programmes, video without the holders permission on You Tube, I know this because the more famous reviewers will only show a 2 second clip and state they are stopping to avoid copyright breach.
Anyway I would rather suffer SOPA then support anonymous in ANYTHING! I do not support hacking ass holes who stole my personal details and may have posted them on the internet! I am much more likely to shove a cricket bat where the sun doesn't shine on the members!
KMakawa on 3 Jan '12 said:
http://vimeo.com/31100268 theres the video that explains most of it in a quick way.. more then what I could explain it.
But it even has the power to block youtube globally, that kinda stuff shouldnt happen..
Mmmmgrolsch on 3 Jan '12 said:
The SOPA needs to be stopped at all costs, anyone backing it can go rot in hell for all I care. I also do not back Annonymous.
BenThomasFoster on 3 Jan '12 said:
People still believe anonymous is a force of evil in 2012...
Man sometimes I do believe those crack pot comment's on youtube who tell us the water is used to control out minds. the group its self has not done one bad thing and stands for pretty much for the right things. How can you hate them... The group it's self didn't attack your precious psn
shadowsblaze on 3 Jan '12 said:
You should have read the graphic novel the film was based on - it's much better. The majority of the storyline was cut out from the film.
billysastard on 3 Jan '12 said:
all 3 are still members of the esa and so are still fully supporting sopa this is just a smoke screen to prevent a godaddy style campaign against them, even though i do hope the anons carry out their threats i doubt this "withdrawal of support" has anything to do with them.
timewarp1 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Someone needs to make a "leave Sony alone you bastards" you tube message to anonymous..
I would do but I appear to have taken an arrow to the knee
timewarp1 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Howard Stringer should have the honors
Balladeer on 3 Jan '12 said:
This. Anonymous, I hate you for some things but your job is not done!
KippDynamite on 3 Jan '12 said:
Anonymous mostly disappoints me but the SOPA is rubbish. You could get fined for pretty much anything. It is not the right way to fight piracy.
gmcb007 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Well don't go crying when you're forced to pay a fine for breaking one of their 1984 rules or be annoyed with the amount of generic goverment approved websites. This SOPA is just the beginning. Just like any other crime, they will never stop piracy for good, just make them act smarter in how they do it. Plus it will persuade more people to pirate.
Imaduck on 3 Jan '12 said:
Little doubt of that Shadows, tis the Hollywood way sadly isn't it
WHERESMYMONKEY on 4 Jan '12 said:
I think you're giving anonymous toom uch credit for this one. I have a feeling its got more to do with Google, facebook and MS being against it as well as the absolute world of s**t that befell Godaddy for supporting it.
This bill is atrocious. Stop thnking about File sharers and think about the world of hurt its going to place on guys doing cover songs on Youtube, your right to share anything on facebook. The scariest part is that its america that this bill is being proposed in. Its a direct attack on free speech.
Piracy is a red herring. It won't promote creativity it'll stamp out the little guy. think of Spotify, if this bill had existed we wouldn't have it. you tube nope, Any kind of sustainable online community. well no. It'll basically give all of the power to media conglomerates. The internet being the one place they've never really understood or gotten a proper grasp of.
Think of musicians and film makers. Think of all the amazing fan translations, films, songs. Any sort of unoffical work based on an existing IP. It will be keelhauled.
think of Review sites. If a publisher doesn't like the review they can enforce the act and get it taken down.
I honestly think it'll be the death knell for the internet as we know it. Not only will this dispicable act Destroy creative freedoms online it will not stop piracy. In fact if anything it'll instantly criminalise millions of people. What we need is a proper and honest discussion on the role piracy plays in artistic expression and how it actually effects sales or doesn't.
Not allowing a bunch of Greedy f**kers to take away our libertys for their own personal gain.
If you have any interest in the future of any creative industry you'll oppose this bill.
gmcb007 on 4 Jan '12 said:
I think it's already started. I had to send my mate a link for an assignment via Facebook message and was informed that links could not be sent due to 'spam'. It was hardly spam when it was an eductional site about learning styles! Jesus soon i'll take a picture of my car and have to send Ford a cheque so I can publish it or i'd be infringing on copyright...
Imaduck on 4 Jan '12 said:
It's kind of shocking that this act has gotten so far frankly. The internet is a force of nature these days but then it is already starting to break up in places. Youtube has been given a totally nonsensical overhaul which managed to kill viral videos overnight to name one off the top of my head. Youtube kind of represented the breathing of the internet, it had everything, now it's like a f**king news website.
It's that same old moronic concept, punish everyone because there are pirates out there. The problem with that is, the pirates will find another way, the proper customers will just leave. So, this is a kill buisness, encourage piracy bill, yay! Go Merica! Own a minigun? Hell yeah! Own Angry Birds without paying HELL f**king NAW SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
. Seems balanced 