It's no secret that major copyright owners like Viacom have been working with members of Congress on legislation to censor so-called “rogue sites” on the Internet. With today's introduction of the Stop Online Piracy Act, such legislation is finally moving forward in both the House and the Senate. Now all it needs is support—and how better to obtain that support than by passing out free muffins with a large chunk missing?

That was the Viacom strategy this morning, when employees received free “half muffins” with an attached label saying, “Looks like someone stole a chunk." The Mystery of the Missing Muffin is meant to remind workers that online infringement “means money out of your pocket." Viacom wants employees to start lobbying Congress directly on the issue, creating “grassroots” support for the bill from those who don't have a car and driver to take them to work.

This week is the company's "Content Theft Awareness Week," and an e-mail to employees made the stakes clear: "Jersey Shore has been viewed illegally online 125 million times this year. South Park almost 150 million times. And just a single raid can turn up 40,000 counterfeit SpongeBob products. You may not always see the effects—especially here in the US—but make no mistake: content theft is a global crime wave."

Employees who do show their support can earn "prizes like tickets to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or VH1 Storytellers, MTV swag bags, and more."

Viacom has joined forces with NBC Universal, CBS, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner Bros., and various industry unions to launch Creative America, a site designed to harness this low-level employee energy. As you might expect, the site is filled with pictures of people hauling lights around, peering through cameras, and otherwise not looking rich, famous, or powerful as they ponder the letters they're going to write Congress.

(Thanks to our anonymous muffin-munching tipster for sending this in.)