The sale of counterfeit merchandise is itself illegal. That goes as much for fake Gucci handbags as for fake NFL attire. Anyone streaming video from an unauthorized source. is aiding a crime. So if you have a bunch of fake Tim Tebow jerseys for sale at a flea market
you have demonstrated
prima facie evidence of intent to commit a crime.
I'm satisfied with a crackdown on overt copyright and trademark fraud in which people are busted for selling fake merchandise to gullible people or to people getting something for nearly nothing that honest people chose to buy at full retail or do without. There's not much imagination in having a jersey with a team logo and a player's name -- or watching a sports broadcast or feature film.
I don't pretend that the NFL is anything other than a money-grubbing profiteer. But even that said, there are people whose quality of life now depends upon residuals. So it is for some ex-jock now in his 70s who played NFL football for $25K a year for five years back in the day who now has health problems. If you can't bust people for hawking fake Tim Tebow jerseys then you can't protect the fellow who needs the help.
...Now how can someone who writes original material prove that he did not commit plagiarism of copyrighted material? Text might be proprietary, but information is not. PIPA and SOPA are unnecessary. Just enforce what we now have.
We don't need SOPA and we don't need PIPA.
