SOPA and respecting all people

Allthough I as an artist and illustrator like to be respected by those who use my images unlawfully. And still need to pay my rent, eat and simply live buy earning a living on my work, as illustrator, graphic designer and artist. There has to be an end to madness.

SOPA, the bill american interest groups & companies and some politicians try to enforce can only damage more than it help, well thats my gut feeling anyway. And we certainly have our share of these in Sweden, Europe too. Its not only happening in America.

I am myself a member of the Association f Swedish Illustrators & Graphic Designers “Svenska Tecknare.”

But…

If I runned a forum for illustrators who used it as discussion forum (which I dont I may add) about illustration, and one or more illustrators on the forum linked to a movie, and myself and others didnt know it was an illegal link, or I just missed the link being attached in the forum in a post and thread among maybe thousands of topics, then I running the forum could be charged for supplying illegal use of intellectual property.

Thats just insane,

Yes there will always be “collectors”, who simply cant live without collecting movies and music to their computer and harddrives. Sitting with 300 000 movies they will never see or something like that, simply because – and maybe feel the philosophical need to share it all to everyone on this planet and feeling empowered by it.

But…

Personally I still like to go to the video store with my girlfriend, look at covers for a movie to rent, buy some candy. Be among other human beings. Going in after work and feel the tingeling feeling of watching the movie. To me its more fun than sitting infront of my computer screen wathing torrent files dropping in on my server, and then find a movie where a russian guy have made and added to his rip of the movie his voice as a voice over to an american action movie. Which destroys the movie but give me a minute of giggle.

There will always be those who copy unlawfully because they dont like to sit and do their homework or simply because they dont care, but thats one thing, it will always excist and have alwaysed excisted. Its nothing new under the sun.

Charge those who do wrong, not those who dont know. Teach kids at schools because the grown ups are to grown up to change their ways.

Respect copyright, dont just throw blame games on big corps when even small creators are effected as well. Learn to respect and live on.

But…

Dont come throwing stupid comments about a digital copy is a copy and should be free to use because its a digitall copy. Thats just bollocks.

Grow up everyone and live a good life and help someone who needs help instead of going on about importance of sharing without even having asked beforehand if its okey or not.

Give respect to creators and dont be an ass. Enjoy life.

Stefan Lindblad