That is unfortunate news since the old guard did most of the work supporting and voting for this measure. I think that this experiment and the DMCA will eventually demonstrate that the internet is a public good. Taxing a public good only means that you will get less of that public good.

The "other guys", those who were against these acts, well, I think the younger folks support them. The kids who grew up with Napster, and The Pirate Bay, they all know that the nominal cost of digital goods moving closer and closer to zero, and those kids are adults now, finding their own power.

In America, Millennials are 83 million strong and the largest demographic. They will slowly filter up through the ranks as the old guard dies off. That's when we'll see real change. I think then, it's only a matter of time that copyright reform, a relaxation of the laws, is inevitable because copyright enforcement is going to become unenforceable.

One of my favorite books on this subject is "Against Intellectual Monopoly" (http://www.dklevine.com/general/intellectual/against.htm), and you can find a free PDF here. They provide significant empirical research to show that artists can actually make more money without copyrights. I believe that book portends a future where all digital goods are free as in freedom.

Thanks for spreading that news. I had no idea that they were even contemplating something is onerous as a link tax. Sigh. I guess they will have to live and learn now, won't they?