Long gone are the good ol’ days of wreckless blogging and uncensored controversy online. Celebrities, big business, and governments have had enough, and bloggers need to watch their words carefully. The US Senate just approved a bill that will allow the government to seize your .com, .net, .us, or .org domain if you are found to be in violation of copyright laws, FTC regulations or even something as simple as personal defamation. This has everyone upset from large news sites to file sharing services.
Site owners are now more accountable for their content and services than ever before. Crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s has never been more important. It’s no surprise that the bill was heavily backed by media lobbyists who argue that piracy online in the form of file sharing and even unauthorized duplication of content is costing the industry hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
Here is the way it used to work:
You put up some content or provide a service/product. >> You get a cease and desist letter in the mail from some angry person or the government. >> You ignore it. >> You get sued. >> A. You win and the other guy goes home crying, or B. You lose and the judge tells you to knock it off or change your website. >> A. You do it, or B. You ignore the judge and move to the cocos islands to keep doing what you are doing.
Here is how it will work now.
You put up some content or provide a service/product. >> Someone tattles on you to the government. >> You lose your domain, and could spend years trying to get it back.
The best advice we can give those of you riding that thin internet line of legal is “don’t fall off,” because Uncle Sam isn’t playing around.
