Posted in: Comics, Digital | Tagged: 5, Comics, coupon, discount, marvel

Protest Against SOPA By Giving Marvel Your Money

Published Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:00:30 -0600

Marvel has received considerable criticism for being seen to support the SOPA legislation aimed at tackling piracy, but also with string freedom of speech issues. Successful SOPA legislation could also see websites shut down for the mere suspicion that they may be linking to a site with a copyright-infringing link on it. Which means that not only YouTube could be taken down over one video with an allegation of unlicensed background music, but any site that hosts a Youtube video, no matter how official, or legal, could also be taken down as a result.

Such as Marvel's own website.

And so some have been calling for a boycott of Marvel, as well as other publishers like DC's owner Time Warner, Penguin, Hachette, Random House and more.

But I've been made aware of a twist being discussed by certain protestors. And one that I really didn't see coming. This may not go anywhere at all, but I was rather taken by the thought patterns behind it.

Tomorrow, you can buy a Marvel digital comic on the Marvel Comics App for at little as 99 cents, and get a $5 coupon for your nearest participating comic store. Buy up to $5 of Marvel comics, use the voucher and you'll get them free. The retailer gets a full $5 refunded by Marvel.

But what if all you did, ever, was get those free Marvel comics and never buy another Marvel comic again? And what if everyone you knew did it. Downloaded the Marvel Comics App, got the coupon, that would be it. What it 100,000 people did it? Marvel would be down $400,000. It would get a lot of people into comic stores around the country, and who knows, some may break and suddenly start buying Marvel. But that's a large chunk of change to make up.

The Marvel digital coupon is available tomorrow and tomorrow only. Can SOPA protestors get organised in time?

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