In October last year, a bill was introduced into the House of Representatives in the US known as the Stop Online Piracy Act. This bill, along with a similar bill known as PIPA, is designed to block access to websites which contain unauthorised copyright material. If SOPA was passed it would mean you were unable to post links, photos or videos that had been copyrighted on your website. The bill has gained some support from within to House of Representatives but has also faced considerable public opposition. The White House has released a statement stating that “online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response” but also reiterated the importance of an “open internet based on the values of free expression, privacy, security and innovation.” And the vote that was meant to be held tomorrow concerning the bill has been postponed.

In response to the possibility of this “flawed legislation”, many companies are actively opposing SOPA. They include Wikipedia, Minecraft and Video Game Generation who will all be taking part in a “blackout,” which could be seen as a virtual strike, and will shut down their sites today. Sony and Nintendo have removed themselves from the list of supporters but will not be participating in the blackout – much like Twitter which has refused to take part – and Reddit has also spoken out against the bill.

A full list of sites that will be shutting down can be found on Reddit here.

We hope you survive the day without Minecraft.