Freedom of Expression

The title of this documentary is called Freedom of Expression:Resistance & Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property. The documentary is based off the book by Kembrew McLeod and is narrated by Naomi Klein. 


"In 1998, university professor Kembrew McLeod (Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa) trademarked the phrase "freedom of expression" - a startling comment on the way that intellectual property law restricts creativity and expression of ideas. This provocative and amusing documentary explores the battles being waged in courts, classrooms, museums, film studios, and the Internet over control of our cultural commons. Based on McLeod's award-winning book of the same title, Freedom of Expression charts the many successful attempts to push back this assault by overzealous copyright holders. Freedom of Expression is an essential tool for educators, activists, filmmakers, students, artists, librarians, and more. " -IMDB

This documentary strongest arguments starts with peoples own rights to express what they feel. Sometimes we express too much and go a little bit too far and get ourselves into trouble. In this news article it shows a perfect example of how a household brand Costco got in trouble with copyrights.

http://www.insidecounsel.com/2011/08/23/ip-gray-market-goods-spell-trouble-for-companies 

This article clearly shows how companies can get themselves into trouble with really not even doing that much wrong. 

SOPA agrees with limiting the Internet and helping get rid of piracy, but a lot of people in the United States do not like SOPA because of how strict it is and really limits Internet use. People were outraged to see that some organization really wanted to limit the Internet's use .

Chairman Smith of the United States House of Representatives has some words about supporting SOPA.

Chairman Smith:  “I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products. 

“The problem of online piracy is too big to ignore. American intellectual property industries provide 19 million high-paying jobs and account for more than 60 percent of U.S. exports. The theft of America’s intellectual property costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion annually and results in the loss of thousands of American jobs.  Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while American innovators and job creators are under attack. 

“The online theft of American intellectual property is no different than the theft of products from a store.  It is illegal and the law should be enforced both in the store and online.

“The Committee will continue work with both copyright owners and Internet companies to develop proposals that combat online piracy and protect America’s intellectual property.  We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who have an honest difference of opinion about how best to address this widespread problem.  The Committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”

 Chairman Smith's Words Supporting SOPAThese are all comments that are supporting SOPA and how SOPA should be passed so the United States gains money back again.