We at StateFoodSafety.com don’t like pirates. And when I say “pirates,” I’m referring to people who steal intellectual property. That doesn’t jive with us. Our training courses were all created, recorded, and illustrated internally, and we’re very proud of our work. Copyright laws are in place to protect information like ours (and yours) and we support keeping those laws intact. We believe that civil liberties and free speech are key components to the foundations that our great nation was built upon.

Knowledge and information bring power, and sharing them with the world is what the internet is all about. That is why we are supporting Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, and the many other online companies that have spoken out against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its little sister bill, Protect Intellectual Property Act (or PIPA). Intellectual property and copyright protection are complex issues, made even more obscure by the vastness of the internet. We believe that it is valuable to continue debating how to best protect information while allowing the citizens of the world to speak and share freely. It is our hope that the United States will not rush into legislation on an issue that is only partially understood, especially one with ramifications as far reaching as SOPA.

We encourage you to learn more about these two piece of legislation and sign Google’s online petition.

–Emilee Follett