Does this mean we are safe from further laws that violate our privacy and grant greater control to law enforcement to act as the police for copyright holders? No in fact things are probably worse than you think. On July 11t President Obama signed an Executive Order that granted the Department of Homeland Security the power they were trying to get with CISPA. In truth the bill was no longer needed as with the Executive Order most of the pieces were put into place. Many also tried to claim that CISPA was not about copyright, but the wording of the bill included massive protections for copyright and intellectual property holders.

But things will not stop there. Chris Dodd the President of the MPAA (and former senator) will be allowed to come back onto “The Hill” to talk with all of his buddies next year after the election is over. Those Senators and Representatives who survive the elections will feel secure in their jobs for at least four years.  This means that they could be open to a little persuasion from Mr. Dodd who once said; he would remember who helped him when it was time to write the checks. We are guessing he means campaign contributions, but who knows. We already know from watching the MPAA and RIAA that they are not above a little unethical behavior in the same way that the sea is not above the sky.

Just look at what this group has done with The Pirate Bay, Megaupload and many more. The copyright industry seems to think that the US federal law enforcement  agencies are their very own police force and have nothing better to do than round up anyone foolish enough to compete with them. Their contempt for law and consumer rights is legendary in everything from by-passing due process to asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single title.

So as we celebrate the seeming victory over CISPA remember this. We expect to see about 6-8 months of calm with no new oppressive bills introduced. After that you can guarantee that things will heat up. Bills like SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, TPP, CISPA and more will come back and have even more power behind them. Right now the MPAA and RIAA are angry and know they are losing the fight. The Megaupload case is slipping through their fingers (even though they still plan to keep the assets frozen if they lose). Meanwhile the case against Kim Dotcom himself is falling apart thanks to incompetence or corruption on the part of the FBI.  A free and open internet is not in the best interest of the copyright industry. It opens up the potential for anyone to act as an outlet for musicians, movie makers and photographers. This threatens their revenue stream and control on the market so they really will stop at nothing to get their way.

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