It seems that the main argument of the supporters of the bill is that piracy is bad for the economy, since it causes job loss.
In reality, at least the way I see it, things could not be further from the truth. Yes, there is a slight loss to the American economy when foreign consumers are not paying for the movies and music (although mostly American companies are to blame here - I cannot buy music anywhere on the internet even if I want to, so TPB is my only source of 24/7 entertainment). However, when it is the American customers that are "stealing", this is not really bad for the economy, as no money is actually lost, it is simply redistributed when the consumers use the money they saved when downloading to buy other stuff - probably coming from the industries that make much less profit than the entertainment industry.
Also, the entertainment industry seems unable or unwilling to face the fact - the consumers aren't buying not because they can download for free, but because the products are crap, not worth the money. Avatar was the most commercially successful movie of all times, in the period of most piracy of all times.
> It seems that the main argument of the supporters of the bill is that piracy is bad for the economy, since it causes job loss.
The average politician sees IP related matters in purely economic terms. So the most effective line of argument is to compare the economic cost of new regulations to their benefit.
I suggest keeping that in mind when writing your representatives on this issue.
In reality, at least the way I see it, things could not be further from the truth. Yes, there is a slight loss to the American economy when foreign consumers are not paying for the movies and music (although mostly American companies are to blame here - I cannot buy music anywhere on the internet even if I want to, so TPB is my only source of 24/7 entertainment). However, when it is the American customers that are "stealing", this is not really bad for the economy, as no money is actually lost, it is simply redistributed when the consumers use the money they saved when downloading to buy other stuff - probably coming from the industries that make much less profit than the entertainment industry.
Also, the entertainment industry seems unable or unwilling to face the fact - the consumers aren't buying not because they can download for free, but because the products are crap, not worth the money. Avatar was the most commercially successful movie of all times, in the period of most piracy of all times.