WisconsInnovation

A few new pieces of legislation, PROTECT IP Act and SOPA, are currently being voted on in the House this week. Although these bills are meant to stop online piracy, they have the potential to seriously change the internet and stifle innovation. I don't want to push a political agenda on anyone so I recommend doing your own research. Here is one article that I found helpful and fairly unbiased.

This article discusses how Tumblr, a blogger website, allowed their users to sign up and receive phone calls from company employees who informed the users on various talking points of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Afterwards, the users were connected to their U.S. representatives to voice their opinion on the act. SOPA, if passed, has the potential to severely limit the amount and type of information Tumblr, and other websites such as Youtube and Reddit, would be allowed to post on their site. This move by Tumblr to employ users to fight this act rather than typical corporate lobbying is an innovative approach utilizing customer collaboration.