Sunlight Foundation shows entertainment industry donated tens of millions to SOPA/PIPA sponsors

It's certainly not news that the anti-piracy bills making their way through Congress, PIPA (aka Protect IP) and SOPA (aka E-PARASITE) are essentially just wish lists written by the entertainment industry.

While sponsors of both bills claim they are tightly focused on taking action against websites operated outside the US which are "dedicated to infringement," the reality is there are a number of troubling implications for innovation and even security.

The Sunlight Foundation, an organization dedicated to transparency in government, has published lists detailing the amount of money contributed by the TV, movie, and music industries to the campaigns of SOPA and PIPA sponsors.

The list for SOPA includes 18 of 25 sponsors:

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., $1,727,156. His southern district border is Hollywood Blvd. and he was the beneficiary at a fundraiser earlier this month hosted by two lobbyists at a firm that represents the National Broadcasting Association.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., $516,400
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., $488,731
Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., $488,636
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Tex., $392,995 (sponsor)
Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-VA, $316,686
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., $261,700
Rep. Lee Terry, R-Nev., $248,168
Rep. John Barrow, D-GA, $210,900
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., $204,199
Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., $133,023
Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., $130,100
Rep. John Carter, R-Tex., $75,850
Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., $64,648
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, $54,000
Rep. William Owens, D-N.Y., $42,850
Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., $30,000
Rep. Thomas Marino, R-Penn., $21,300

For PIPA, the list includes 26 of 40 sponsors:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., $1,996,470
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., $1,465,160
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., $1,295,718
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., $899,366 (sponsor)
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., $890,668
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., $747,491
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri., $503,291
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., $493,069
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, $492,407
Sen. Robert Men�ndez, D-N.J., $445,575
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., $430,500
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., $368,733
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., $365,589
Sen. Robert Casey, D-Penn., $343,225
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., $312,320
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., $297,771
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, $291,621
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, $284,225
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., $254,162
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., $237,084
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., $230,569
Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., $218,539
Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., - $217,847
Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., - $171,790
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., $158,066
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., $94,450

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 5 Dec 2011 17:03

LordRuss

You know, first off, for an industry that whines about not having or losing money hand over fist they certainly seem to find truck loads of it to leave in the driveways of these assholes!!!

Every one of these belly dragging morons needs to spend the next 6 years in Menard State pen just up the road from me. It's a fine state run organization with the Mississippi running down one side of it & a dead rock quarry running long the other side of it. I'd say looking out at the that kind of desolation of that amount of time 'might' give them some time to reflect & possibly ascertain as to the bleak conditions they placed on the people they were supposed to be watching out for who elected them.

Then again, they'll probably self medicate themselves & whine through the whole ordeal as Bubba's prison bitch & come out whining all along that they were the victim. All those guys do.

I think it's time to put Russell's plan to a vote.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

5.12.2011 17:22 #1

jookycola

I wish there was a "Like" button for your comment.

5.12.2011 20:19 #2

Notcow

Originally posted by jookycola: I wish there was a "Like" button for your comment.
New website design idea, maybe?

5.12.2011 22:36 #3

KillerBug

The only surprising part is the volume of the bribes...not the bribes or even the people being bribed.

5.12.2011 23:03 #4

Tristan_2

You know...if their were like buttons here I'd like Killerbug's and LordRuss's comments I mean...MY GOD,These content companies and organizations "complain" that"Piracy" is hurting the entertainment industry....NO IT FREAKING ISN'T MPAA RIAA scum! The Lawsuits they put out to the individual person or groups that"Pirate content" even if they win said lawsuits they lose half if not 90% or so of their earnings,they BRIBE senators to pass their shit which is ILLEGAL TO EVEN DO! But I guess the Content Industry can is too big to ignor the law like the Government...and that is Totally F'ed Up

6.12.2011 01:32 #5

KillerBug

Originally posted by Tristan_2: You know...if their were like buttons here I'd like Killerbug's and LordRuss's comments I mean...MY GOD,These content companies and organizations "complain" that"Piracy" is hurting the entertainment industry....NO IT FREAKING ISN'T MPAA RIAA scum! The Lawsuits they put out to the individual person or groups that"Pirate content" even if they win said lawsuits they lose half if not 90% or so of their earnings,they BRIBE senators to pass their shit which is ILLEGAL TO EVEN DO! But I guess the Content Industry can is too big to ignor the law like the Government...and that is Totally F'ed Up Unfortunately, the politicians make the laws...and they changed the laws so bribery is legal.

6.12.2011 03:42 #6

LordRuss

Originally posted by Notcow: Originally posted by jookycola: I wish there was a "Like" button for your comment.
New website design idea, maybe? I'm assuming you guys went to my website? Been a while since I wrote to it... I figured the FBI has been redirecting traffic since SOPA seems to be getting their way too. All of this is an assumption due to the traffic stats from the website software & my paranoia...

In all honesty, I'm dependent on 'piracy' for my animation company to get its wings when I get it off the ground. Word of mouth is going to be the only way I'm going to be able to sell the thing. Not that I'm saying you fine folks are such people, but had it not been for some of you all & some of you beginners of the w a y past (bootlegging days) I wouldn't know of some of the newer music or undergound films of today. All because Hollywood or the music industry or whomever didn't like how (or why) those people didn't play their games & put money strait into their pockets.

Remember guys/gals, I did work in that mess. I was no star by any stretch of any means. I was just a shadow, but I still had my eyes & ears. What I learned was not pretty. This crap just continues to prove my point.

Kind of like finding a $100 bill lying on the ground, but when you pick it up you find out that there's a half inch layer of the freshest gooey baby shit painted perfectly to the back... and you just got it all over your hands.

Welcome to politics & the entertainment industry.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

6.12.2011 11:57 #7

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