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[Note: Be sure to listen to the "enhanced-with-extra-goodies" audio for this post.  Scroll down to the bottom, click on "Play" or download as MP3.  Enjoy!  You're welcome! - Terry ]

So, what is the result of all the commotion about SOPA in the US?  A day after WikiPedia went dark, we see that millions (literally) have responded.  So what does this mean for you and me in our intellectual property?

Over 13 Million people fought to stop SOPA.  This was a huge groundswell of anger over stifling free speech.  Many felt that SOPA was dangerous and rightly so.

First of all, I produce a lot of intellectual content.  As a professional speaker, an author, a blogger and Editor-in-Chief of a major corporate blog, this is very personal for me.  I live in a few tribes where others are also producing content. This is information we’ve created and, no, we don’t want it stolen, even if it is relatively easy for the bad guys to steal.  Stealing is immoral and wrong.  This is how we earn a living and for someone to take what is another’s is simply not right.

However, in a world where we can easily take something that is digital and create fairly accurate copies of it (unlike a VCR copy of a tape years ago), the dynamics have changed.

The movie studios, who were behind a major portion of the SOPA push, have created content that they don’t want stolen.  Understood.  However, the way they tried to address it is all wrong and even counter-productive.  You don’t make it the government’s role to shut down an entire website because of a theft.  You wouldn’t shut down Macy’s because someone shoplifted some merchandise.  You also wouldn’t shut down the whole section of town where that Macy’s store is located.

Too often government takes a sledgehammer to try and get rid of a problems with flies.

As a society, we’re still learning and groping for answers on how to handle all the confusion that comes from this new world of the digital frontier.  Hey, some of it is like Indiana Jones in the first movie where, when he was asked by the lovely maid as he was confronting the bad guys, “Indiana, what are you gonna’ do?”  His reply?  ”I don’t know.  I’m making this up as I go.”

Well, we’re doing that as we proceed now.  That doesn’t mean it is a free for all and it is okay to steal.  We still build upon previous knowledge and experiences. This is what the human race has done since we crawled out of the caves eons ago.  We’ve learned that theft is not right for some very pragmatic reasons.  If one steals from another, that other has less incentive to produce.  That also means that what was stolen seems to make it okay for others to steal.  And no, two wrongs do not make a right.

The answer?  I’m not completely sure, but we do know that we have certain precepts on which to build.  1) Respect for others and their work.  2) Theft is wrong, 3) In the digital world, we have to adapt and change based on reality while still retaining principle #2.

Government usually starts with very good intentions and ends up with very bad results because of unintended consequences.  The free market has many options and the more we explore what can be done without initiation of force, coercion or fraud, we’ll achieve a better solution.  I think we have to be proactive as producers so that if someone steals something they 1) end up advertising for us with our material and 2) Don’t get everything they need in one package.  I talk about this more in my coaching program but these are the basic concepts. Are we perfect?  No, it is often difficult to be legal, but we have to make a strong effort to do what is right and correct when we err.

Congrats to Wikipedia and other sites who made a statement (like Google blocking their name).  Jimmy Wales at Wikipedia is a strong believer in the morality of producing and being paid for what is yours.  Thank you, Jimmy! Reddit also joined in the block while other sites like LifeHacker (one of my personal favorite sites) did not.  Ultimately, this is what free choice is all about.  Some will go dark while others, who might have the same opinion, will chose to be up and running while protesting.  Free to Choose.

For the future, let’s keep up the conversation.  Hey, that’s what social media is all about.  Let’s be polite.  When you disagree, be especially polite.  That’s really the only way real change takes place. Somehow I think we’ll work this one out in time with full understanding of practical, legal, moral and other implications.

So what do you think?  I’d love to hear from you and your thoughts on this very important issue.  I look forward to hearing from you.

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