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-------------------- I already wrote about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) on January 11th, 2012 which you can read by clicking here. I noted that WWE's Media and Legal department were quite protective of copyrights, especially anything with audio and video. LordsofPain.net used to have videos, wrestler themes, screenshot images, and audio clips through 1999, but the WWE told LoP to "stop or else" and thus why, to this day, that LoP is a very bare looking site (although I like it that way). Some of you are acting "shocked" that the WWE actually supports SOPA and has supported it reportedly since September 2011. But in my opinion, as I also stated on 1/11/2012, if the WWE were supporting SOPA, it was because of major Pay Per View piracy that they endure: Mr. Tito on 1/11/2012: The bill appears to eliminate internet ad companies from placing ads on websites accused of copyright infringement, prohibits search engines from linking to sites in violation, and also requires internet service providers (ISP's) to block access to websites in violation. The bill (uh oh WWE Pay Per View fans) would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted material as a crime, punishable for 5 years worth of jail time. This bill would make any streaming of copyright material illegal, which thus makes foreign streamers in violation of U.S. Law. Although I haven't seen any outright support by the WWE for this act to pass and be signed into law, I'm sure the WWE is for it. After all, they have a nasty problem right now with streaming of Pay Per Views that would make them interested if U.S. Laws get enforced or not. That, and it makes their job of enforcing their already existing tough copyright enforcement policies much easier. WWE, and also Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is losing millions in lost Pay Per View revenues because of piracy through foreign website streaming Pay Per Views that any American wrestling fan can view. Thus, it's fairly obvious why they would support SOPA because they are desperate to stop the Pay Per View revenue bleeding. Don't believe me? Just look at the Total # of Pay Per View buys through the years, per the WWE's 10-K filings: 2007: 5,200,800 buys 2008: 5,034,400 buys 2009: 4,490,200 buys 2010: 3,631,100 buys 2011 (annualized through 3rd Quarter): 4,061,887 Note that for 2011, I took the 10-Q reporting of 3,046,400 reported through 9/30/11, divided by 3, and then multiplied by 4. From 2007, the WWE has lost over 1,000,000 Pay Per View buys. GRANTED, they had more Pay Per View shows then (15) and the economy imploded after September 2008. Fair enough. But the numbers don't lie, folks, and it's well known among the "Internet Wrestling Community" (IWC) where to go if you so choose to watch WWE Pay Per Views as streamed from a foreign website. Ditto for UFC events. WWE and UFC have the belief that they can use restrictions on the internet and the Justice Department to aggressively stop piracy. Right or wrong, they are both getting crushed on Pay Per View losses and hence why they support SOPA. WWE is going to support SOPA because NBC/Universal supports it, which the WWE has become very dependent on for their Cable broadcasting needs. But you cannot deny that the WWE is a real, legitimate victim of piracy. They work very hard to restrict the domestic websites from airing any excessive amounts of WWE copyrighted material but they cannot presently stop the pirated Pay Per View market. Of course, we could easily argue that the WWE wouldn't have a problem if they put on BETTER Pay Per Views each month as well as having a lower price. VERY FAIR criticisms of the WWE's numbers declining. However, if the WWE had quality shows and the Pay Per Views were priced at $20 instead of the current $44.95 price tag, piracy would still exist. As Brodie says in the movie Mallrats, "why buy the cow when you can get the sex for free?", the same thing applies. Quality Pay Per Views at $5 would still get stolen. In my opinion, WWE and UFC have very valid complaints that I could see making them want to support SOPA. BUT, there are Copyright laws on the books that already exist that just aren't being enforced and the United States has very strong control over the internet worldwide. Instead of creating what will probably be a 1,000 page bill, why not enforce the laws that already in place? It's funny what laws are actually on the books yet don't get enforced. You do realize that it's illegal to enter the United States illegally? Tell that to the reported 20 million illegal immigrants who disregarded the law and weren't punished, whatsoever. Recent financial crisis? Hellooooooo... After all, how does the WWE enforce their copyright restrictions now? And the funny thing is that NBC/Universal is now owned by a company called Comcast. Gee, don't they have access to a high speed internet network? Just chill till the next episode... CONTACT MR. TITO - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @titowrestling - Join LoPForums.com: Feedback Thread BLOG is TITO Archive on LoPForums.com © Mr. Tito 1998 - 2012
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