James sez, “First Amendment scholar Marvin Ammori gives a great overview of how Congress has made an effort to protect free speech in the past but are turning a blind eye to the threats to speech rights posed by the Stop Online Piracy Act.”
Free speech has remained a quintessential American ideal, even as our society has moved from the ink quill to the touch screen. But as the Internet paves new avenues for speech, Congress seems to be remembering only some of the lessons of our tradition. While lawmakers continues to understand the potential threat from defamation laws, proposed legislation on copyrights shows that many in Congress are willing to overlook threats to free speech similar to those that overzealous defamation laws undoubtedly create.
Should Copyright Be Allowed to Override Speech Rights?
(Thanks, James!)