Sharing is Not a Crime: A Battle Plan to Fight BackTony Cartalucci, Contributor Despite the obvious conflict of interests and dangerous precedent set by corporations commandeering elected representatives to leverage their influence and bend the law of the people to the will of big corporations, Dodd has been allowed to continue on with the charade. As stated in Decentralizing Telecom, to constantly fight the interests of mega-corporations, while thus far successful, is not a sustainable strategy. Reacting to the provocations of special interests as they relentlessly attempt to expand their already unwarranted influence and monopolies, must be replaced with a strategy aimed at the very source of their strength. File sharing is not wrong, and it most certainly is not theft. One would not consider sharing a purchased book with a friend, theft. Technology has simply made it possible to share that book with millions of friends. File sharing operations making money off of other peoples work might constitute a target for industry and government alike, but file sharing online is also done for absolutely free, through peer-to-peer software. The answer to sagging business models affected by file sharing is not litigation and legislation, but rather to innovate something big-industry certainly has the resources to do. Open-source, crowd-sourced, innovative software, media, and hardware businesses already exist, and are already turning profits while creating local jobs. More importantly, they are opening up markets to consumers who can now become producers, essentially creating wealth redistribution through entrepreneurship rather than government subsidies. These emerging business models prove that jobs, profit, and commerce are not impossible within the new, emerging paradigm people like Dodd work tirelessly against. It does prove, however, that the days the special interests Dodd represents can hoard for themselves control over human creativity and the wealth it generates, are coming to an end. The Battle Plan: By no means should people already engaged in anti-monopoly campaigning give up. People campaigning against SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, and many other forms of legislation represent the minefields upon a battlefield, slowing the advance of the enemy, and denying it access long enough for a counteroffensive to be mounted but that counteroffensive must eventually be planned and executed. Dodds MPAA Copyright Alert System, described by Wired as an ISP search-and-disrupt operation, will use the Internet and telecom monopolies to target file sharing. Previously discusssed mesh networks would easily complicate the enforcement of such a measure. Also, as one keen Wired reader noted in the comment sections: He would elaborate in a second comment that: And indeed, for those looking to get around the corporate-fascist collaboration between government, big-film record studios, big-software, and big-telecom, a portable hard drive network could easily be organized, expanded and used to sting back even worse than online file sharing already has. However, such networks, be they mesh or hard drive sharing, are still only countermeasures. To go on the offensive against the special interests behind this campaign, particularly because they still possess almost unlimited finances and political backing, is to avoid taking them head-on and instead attack their supply lines. We need not travel far to reach these supply lines for we the consumers of their products and services constitute the sole source of their wealth, with which they buy their influence across governments and the media. Cutting ourselves off, thus cutting their supply lines and leaving them to starve, is as simple as boycotting and replacing them. We can begin (and in many cases already are) boycotting and replacing them with superior, and more importantly, open alternatives. All things being equal, people would rather watch a free movie than pay for one on Netflix. One rather listen to a free MP3 than pay for one on iTunes. By crowd-sourcing, crowd-funding, and producing free entertainment online leveraging improved, and increasingly cheaper hardware and software, such alternatives are already emerging. Campaigners against the likes of Dodd, the MPAA, and their SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA travesties, may also consider going a step beyond merely naming those corporations involved, and promote a full-spectrum, permanent boycott (andhere), while promoting open-source, innovative alternatives. Websites featuring open-entertainment could be organized by genre, or contain a variety to choose from. These could be open-versions of iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon, that run on ads, feature donation and referral buttons for artists, and more importantly, remain free and open for all. Live events could be organized and revenue raised for artists and organizers that way. Image: Open source (OS) solutions for everything from e-mail and browsers, to 3D design graphic and vector art. An excellent resource for finding appropriate OS solutions is OSalt.com. Design houses and studios using open-source software for commissioned work could augment their income by arranging training workshops and consulting services for other companies to switch over from expensive propriety solutions to open-source. The more people involved in open collaboration, the greater the benefit for all those involved. Artists have and will always ply their trade for passion. Many are rediscovering the process of working for commissions rather than for royalties, and are using the open-sharing of their work as an advertisement for their commissioned services, live performances, and physical merchandise related to their intellectual efforts. Running an open source studio, design house, or other business and want to share your story? Please contact us at LocalOrg or send an e-mail to cartalucci@gmail.com Tony Cartaluccis articles have appeared on many alternative media websites, including his own at Land Destroyer Report, Alternative Thai News Network and LocalOrg. Read other contributed articles by Tony Cartalucci here. 