Give me a crash course in . . . internet piracy

Why couldn't I get on to Wikipedia last Wednesday?As a protest against the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) in the US, Wikipedia and other sites went dark for 24 hours.

So is Wikipedia pro-piracy?No, but it regards Sopa as draconian and as an assault on freedom of expression.

What is Sopa all about?Hollywood and media corporations want to stop the many internet users who download music, films and TV shows illegally and without paying the copyright holders. If Sopa is passed, it could mean that search engines, such as Google, could be sued for hosting links to web pages that carry these illegal sites.

Where does Richard O'Brien fit into this?He's the young Englishman facing extradition to the US because, it is alleged, he ran a website with links to illegal downloads of copyrighted material. His says he was not to blame for what people did with the links he provided. And that question is the issue.

But surely illegal downloading is wrong and everyone should be opposed to it?Illegal downloading causes job losses and is destroying the music and film worlds, but the reason media companies, such as Google, are opposed to Sopa is that they believe they should not be held responsible for information they carry, given that they cannot monitor every posting.

But this is all happening in the US. I'm in Ireland and can download what I want for free, can't I?No, you can't. Legislation is in place here also. If you are providing links to illegal sites, you could face extradition to the US.

Why might Sopa play a part in this year's US presidential election?President Obama, while opposed to internet piracy, has distanced himself from Sopa for pretty much the same reasons as Wikipedia opposes it. Obama's stance is important because he has alienated Hollywood and the US media companies, which are all pro-Sopa and could withdraw funding from the Obama re-election campaign.

Why is Rupert Murdoch tweeting about this?You could say he is pro-Sopa. He has tweeted that "Obama has thrown in his lot with Silicon Valley paymasters".

But if not Sopa, what else is there to stop internet piracy?Sopa is ill thought out. What is needed is education on the effects of piracy. It can seem like it's media conglomerates picking on the small guy who is just downloading one lousy show or film, but that isn't the real story. Piracy on the internet puts people out of work.