Protestors against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) went on an all-out internet strike last week to show senate and congress how much they oppose the bills.

Many large and small websites, including popular online destinations like Reddit and Wikipedia (check out these Tweets from angry students who couldn’t do their homework), shut down for 24 hours to protest SOPA and PIPA.

Instead of removing pirated, unauthorized content from the internet, SOPA and PIPA legislations focused on punishing the platforms hosting the content. This would allow the government to go after foreign-based sites that distribute unauthorized content and force U.S.-based sites to cut ties with websites even remotely connected to online piracy (ex. if someone had reposted a link on Reddit).

A passionate anti-SOPA post from BoingBoing, a blog that also shut down on January 18, gives an interesting take on why their website “could never co-exist with a SOPA world.”

The battle between content providers who argue that internet piracy prevents the creation of new jobs in the industry, and internet companies who say that these bills threaten the freedom of the internet and may damage the internet-based economy, was not over after the protests were done.

When the government put SOPA/PIPA on hold, the OPEN Act has been introduced. This less crazy version of SOPA and PIPA will only concern websites that openly promote the violation of copyright laws. The act is completely open to the public, and everyone can make revisions and suggestions to the bill (ironically, it works very similarly to Wikipedia).

For a little while it seemed like the storm ceased and the SOPA/PIPA legislations have left forever. That, unfortunately, did not last long. The next day the government shut down MegaUpload, the best-known file-sharing site on the Internet. Several big recording artists collaborated to create a “MegaUpload Mega Song” in support of the site.

Also in retaliation for MegaUpload, the hacker group Anonymous took down websites of Department of Justice, Motion Picture Association of America and Universal Music Group.

And then, just a few days ago, Christopher Dodd of the MPAA, made a few comments concerning the SOPA and PIPA acts that made his opponents, including the Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, sign a petition to investigate Dodd on bribery charges.

This shows that the “SOPA/PIPA Against The Internet” saga is far from over and the entertainment industry will keep making attempts to curb technology.

Do you run an online business? How would SOPA/PIPA affect it?