Is Paramount Planning a Law School Course on SOPA Kumbaya?

I ♥ SOPA. Not for its law but for its resilience. You have to appreciate its will to live, like the roach surviving a nuclear winter. Its opponents laud, "SOPA is dead," but when they turn away, something crawls forth from the ashes. Currently, the dying law finds life on college campuses in the form of an olive branch extended by Paramount.

Paramount Comes in Peace

As reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Paramount has sent a letter to various law professors, asking for a piracy dialogue with peers and students. The letter, penned by Paramount Pictures' vice president of worldwide content protection and outreach, Alfred C. Perry, states that Paramount was "humbled," "surprised" and motivated by the "strong public opposition" to SOPA. In the letter, Paramount seeks an exchange on "content theft" and offers itself for a formal presentation and open discussion.

A Wolf in Paramount's Clothing

Some wonder if the letter is less about olive branches and more about the Kool-Aid. According to the Chronicle article, the letter, which was sent to law professors rather than campus-tech officers, is aimed at only the most elite schools. Market feedback is also put into question when consumer engagement is limited to the perspective of law professors and students. And in using the term "content theft," the letter strikes a petulant chord amongst opponents, who have argued against SOPA's potential intrusion upon legal rights and valid content uses. 

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