Taking down the site may not seem to have financial incentive, but using the site as a vector to litigate against the owner of the site for infringement just introduces too much risk/liability against my personal financial assets. I mean, these bozos have gone after unemployed stay at home mothers for hundreds of thousands of dollars (and won). I just don't have the interest in intentionally being a litigation target for the copyright goons.
But to your point: yes, if you play the scenario to the extreme, every site would have to be shut down. But if you read the text of the proposed laws and the existing precedents, as well as the statements of the proponents of these laws, I think that's the very point. They say the laws are targeted at foreign sites, but the text of the laws and existing precedent would lead to the shutdown of any consumer owned/generated site. The point of PIPA/SOPA isn't to stop piracy, it's to stop consumers from publishing their own content.
And to the media HNers out there: better make damn sure you have written copyright releases for every piece of user generated content on your site.
But to your point: yes, if you play the scenario to the extreme, every site would have to be shut down. But if you read the text of the proposed laws and the existing precedents, as well as the statements of the proponents of these laws, I think that's the very point. They say the laws are targeted at foreign sites, but the text of the laws and existing precedent would lead to the shutdown of any consumer owned/generated site. The point of PIPA/SOPA isn't to stop piracy, it's to stop consumers from publishing their own content.
And to the media HNers out there: better make damn sure you have written copyright releases for every piece of user generated content on your site.