Just a heads up that tomorrow, January 18th, On The Pitch will go dark in protest of the pending SOPA and PIPA legislation. If you haven’t heard about this legislation, you need to educate yourself, as the major media companies are trying to get Congress to pass legislation that will allow for government censorship of the Internet under the guise of copyright infringement. Think how many soccer sites link to exciting goals or plays from the EPL, etc. That linking alone would be grounds for a lawsuit or possibly criminal charges.

So on January 18th, along with many other major websites, visits to our website will redirect to information on how you can try to fight this legislation.

Protect the Internet

Help us stop the Internet Blacklist Legislation

Congress is considering two dangerous pieces of legislation called SOPA and PIPA, which would create the first American Internet censorship system. These bills can pass. If they do, the Internet and free speech will never be the same.

Join us to stop this bill.

  • Why? – A few infringing links are enough to justify censoring an entire site, blocking good content along with the bad. Content that may have been uploaded by someone other than the site’s owners.
  • How? – The US will be able to block a site’s web traffic, ad traffic and search traffic using the same website censorship methods used by China, Iran and Syria.
  • Who’s At Risk? – Your favorite websites both inside and outside the US could be blocked based on a single infringement claim.
  • Could this pass? – Yes. Despite recent statements from committee chairs that they may slow down SOPA, PIPA is still moving forward. The Stop Online Piracy Act and the PROTECT IP Act are being pushed very hard by the media conglomerates and have widespread support in Congress. They are expected to pass.
  • I Heard SOPA Is Dead – The House has sent SOPA back to committee and shelved it temporarily, but PIPA (the Senate version) is still very much alive and kicking. SOPA will likely come back out of committee if the intensity of opposition dies down.

Learn More And Help: