Of course we’d love your transfer…But that’s not what this is about!
The more important issue is that we band together and use the power of YOU to stop a flawed piece of legislation from getting out. Instead of just donating when you transfer, we are putting our money behind the larger task of getting the word out on this important issue. That's right, for every share or like of this page, we will donate 5 cents to a charity that shares your hope of keeping the Internet open and free. So, what are you waiting for... either share this page or vote with your feet and transfer to a registrar who cares about freedom of the internet!
Transfer To Name.com Now!
We'll donate 5 cents to your selected free speech friendly foundation for each unique tweet.
Official Name.com Position on SOPA
At The Heart Of The Internet Lie Two Distinct Values: Freedom of expression and the ability to quickly and easily transfer ideas and information to a broad and diverse collection of individuals.
Although these ideas and information do deserve protection, SOPA’s broad and sweeping reforms threaten the two fundamental pillars on which the internet thrives. Name.com opposes SOPA and calls on Congress to search for a new way to protect intellectual property rights, while maintaining the freedom from which we all enjoy
and benefit.
Wait.....What's SOPA?
SOPA is a proposed piece of legislation that was designed to protect intellectual property rights. Most people, and Name.com, would agree that individuals' intellectual property deserved to be protected. However, the "solution" that is implemented in SOPA ignores the fundamental structure of the internet and threatens to greatly restrict the flow of information while punishing
internet users.
The solution put forward in SOPA is problematic in three major ways. Essentially, the bill expands both the power of the Attorney General and allows for copyright holders to circumvent the current legal system. Finally it gives sweeping immunity to proactive, voluntary action by service providers.
Under SOPA, if the Attorney General believes that an internet site is violating copyright laws the site would be "subject to seizure." The Attorney General could then require that service providers to the domain (ex. registrars, hosting providers and search engines), stop doing business with the domain name. The bill goes one step further and requires that if the the service provider "knows, reasonably should know or reasonably believes" that an infringing individual is using a different domain or IP for the same purposes, they are required to takes steps against the other (non-reported!) domain or IP.
SOPA also allows for copyright holders to notify sources of revenue (like ad services) of domains that they believe are infringing on copyrighted material. The revenue source is then required to stop doing business with the domain until they receive a counter notification from the domain holder. Please note that this entire process would occur outside any legal process.
Finally, SOPA gives immunity to any service provider who takes voluntary action against a domain in the name of protecting copyright holders. This immunity applies to both criminal and civil courts. Service providers could suspend or delete service based on either knowledge of, or reasonable belief that the domain was engaging in copyright infringement.
These three components equate to an internet that is radically different than the internet we know today. In Name.com’s view it is scary to imagine an internet, where broad regulation of content is encouraged and copyright holders' rights are heavily favored over the users and creators that drive the internet.
Of course, this not a full summary of the entire 78 page bill. While mainly aimed at stopping copyright violations, there are some interesting sections that address other issues such as, counterfeit drugs and the sale of dangerous materials. If you have the time and the interest, we highly recommend that you take a look at the proposed legislation in its entirety. You can find a copy of
SOPA HERE.
And for those of you all the way at the bottom of the page looking for a way to transfer your domains to a great company…
here you go: