While several major sites across the Web participated in a blackout Wednesday, members of the New York tech community assembled outside of Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer's Midtown offices to demonstrate their opposition to controversial copyright bills such as SOPA and PIPA. Roughly 2,000 people assembled in plaza outside of the 780 Third Ave address.

Gillibrand Save NY Tech, Stop PIPA
Protesters nearly filled the plaza just outside of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Charles Schumer's office at 780 Third Ave. ibtimes.com
Co-founder of Reddit, Alex Ohanian Speaks at Emergency New York Tech Meetup
Several special guests were featured at the demonstration including the outspoken founder of social news website Reddit, Alex Ohanian. ibtimes.com
Co-founder of Girl Develop It Speaks at Emergency New York Tech Meetup
Several special guests were featured at the demonstration including one of the founders of the software development group Girl Develop It, Sara Chipps. ibtimes.com
Protest Sign Description Unavailable
This protester, an employee of the New York-based software company Boxee, has brought the internet blackout to the protest, censoring her own sign as a symbolic gesture of possible outcomes if SOPA or PIPA are passed. ibtimes.com
Protesting Sign Short and Sweet
One member of the New York tech community chose to riff off of the Occupy Wall Street protests, while keeping his message short and sweet. He thinks SOPA sucks. ibtimes.com
Protest Sign Play on Words
One of the many forms of signs that appeared Wednesday afternoon were those that decided to play off of the SOPA acronym. This New Yorker thinks SOPA is a pathetic attempt to restrict piracy. ibtimes.com
Thoughtful, Hard-To-Read Sign Is One of Many Forms of Protest
Some of the protesters had a hard time keeping their thoughts concise, given the complexities of the SOPA and PIPA bills. ibtimes.com
Memes Show Up at Emergency New York Tech Meetup
Some people chose to express their frustrations with recent copyright legislation using internet memes. ibtimes.com
Meme Shows Up at Emergency New York Tech Meetup
Some people chose to express their frustrations with recent copyright legislation using internet memes. ibtimes.com