First I should say that Gaslamp Games is a company. We sell products, and our motivations as individuals are swayed by the fact that our personal successes are tied to the successes of our company. We have a vested interest in allowing Gaslamp to be successful. That said, Gaslamp Games would cease to exist as the entity that you know and love if SOPA and PIPA are passed.
If SOPA passes, it requires that we censor each and every post or message within our blog posts and our forums to ensure that no piracy or hints at piracy are posted. If we aren’t successful, we could become blacklisted and unreachable without so much as a chance to defend ourselves. What’s more, the bills together give internet service providers the ability to make these decisions on their own, only requiring “credible evidence” of piracy-oriented content. We simply can’t afford to police our community to a degree where we could be somewhat assured to be operating within the parameters set out by these bills. What’s more, we don’t want to police our users. Our community, like every other healthy community, depends upon some degree of freedom of expression.
Gaslamp’s vested interest aside, there are some very serious freedom of speech issues. I am no expert here but I have read a lot about SOPA and PIPA over the last week or so and I strongly urge you to look into them on your own, and of course, to try to hear both sides of the story. While it is our opinion that SOPA and PIPA are too heavy-handed in their attempt to lessen a problem which is a serious concern, it is most important that you know what is going on and have the opportunity to share an informed opinion with your government representatives.
