Wikipedia to Shut Down in Protest of Anti-Piracy Act Wikipedia will shut down for 24 hours Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, founder Jimmy Wales announced on Monday. In doing so, Wikipedia joins a long list of web companies such as Reddit and Mozilla that are taking similar measures against the proposed legislation. Wales used his Twitter account to spread the news, writing “Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday! #sopa” In place of Wikipedia, users will see instructions for how to reach local members of Congress, which Wales hopes "will melt phone systems in Washington." He also noted that comScore estimates the English Wikipedia’s web traffic at 25 million daily visitors worldwide. Also Read: MPAA: It's Time to Stop Obstruction on Anti-Piracy Legislation (Updated) The White House issued a warning Saturday about SOPA, as well as related legislation such as the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and the Online Protection and Digital Enforcement Act (OPEN), which would give the government and content companies more power to police the unlawful promulgation of their intellectual property. It insisted any effort to combat online piracy “must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small.” The Motion Picture Association of America was conciliatory -- but firm -- in its response to the White House's statement. "We welcome the Administration's clear statement that legislation is needed to stop foreign based thieves from stealing the hard work and creativity of millions of American workers," the MPAA said, in a statement prepared by Michael O’Leary, Senior Executive Vice President for Global Policy and External Affairs for the MPAA. Related Articles: MPAA: It's Time to Stop Obstruction on Anti-Piracy Legislation (Updated) MPAA's Point-Man on Anti-Piracy Legislation Blames Google for Controversy
These Groups support SOPA, they want to destroy the internet: 60 Plus Association, ABC, Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) American Bankers Association (ABA) American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) American Federation of Musicians (AFM) American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Americans for Tax Reform, Association of American Publishers (AAP) Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, Beachbody, LLC, BMG Chrysalis, BMI, Building and Construction Trades Department, Capitol Records Nashville, CBS, Cengage Learning Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) Christian Music Trade Association, Church Music Publishers’ Association, Coalition Against Online Video Piracy (CAOVP) Comcast/NBCUniversal, Concerned Women for America (CWA) Congressional Fire Services Institute, Copyhype ,Copyright Alliance, Coty, Inc., Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) Council of State Governments, Country Music Association, Country Music Television, Creative America Deluxe, Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, Directors Guild of America (DGA) Disney Publishing Worldwide Inc., Elsevier, EMI, Christian Music Group, EMI Music Publishing, Entertainment Software Association (ESA) ESPN, Estée Lauder Companies, Gospel Music Association, Graphic Artists Guild, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide Inc., Hyperion, Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States Its Territories and Canada (IATSE) International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) International Trademark Association (INTA) International Union of Police Associations, L’Oreal, Let Freedom Ring, Lost Highway Records, Macmillan, Major County Sheriffs, Major League Baseball, Majority City Chiefs, Marvel Entertainment LLC, MasterCard Worldwide, MCA Records, McGraw-Hill Education, Mercury Nashville, Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC) Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) MPA – The Association of Magazine Media, National Association of Fusion Center Directors, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators, National Association of State Chief Information Officers, National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) National Center for Victims of Crime, National Criminal Justice Association, National District Attorneys Association, National Domestic Preparedness Coalition, National Football League, National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) National Songwriters Association, National Troopers Coalition, News Corporation, Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Pearson Education Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Pfizer Inc., Provident Music Group, Random House, Republic Nashville, Revlon, Scholastic Inc., Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Showdog, Universal Music, Simon & Schuster, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Nashville, State International Development Organization (SIDO) The Perseus Books Groups, The United States Conference of Mayors, Tiffany & Co., Time Warner, True Religion Brand Jeans, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) UMG Publishing Group Nashville, United States Chamber of Commerce, United States Olympic Committee, United States Tennis Association, Universal Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Viacom, Visa Inc., W.W. Norton & Company, Wallace Bajjali Development Partners L.P., Warner Music Group, Warner Music Nashville, Wolters Kluewer, Health Word Entertainment, Zumba Fitness LLC.
