Thursday Oregon Senator Ron Wyden placed a hold on the controversial PROTECT IP Act, a bill many fear would open the door to Internet censorship.
The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, (PROTECT IP Act) is meant to protect intellectual property and combat copy right infringement. However, in so doing, the bill would give the U.S. federal government unprecedented power to force ISPs and search engines to block websites they believe to be infringing on copyright and intellectual property laws without due process.
Many, including Senator Wyden, find the bill draconian, and an intolerable threat to free expression on the Internet.
From a statement released by Senator Ron Wyden:
I understand and agree with the goal of the legislation, to protect intellectual property and combat commerce in counterfeit goods, but I am not willing to muzzle speech and stifle innovation and economic growth to achieve this objective. At the expense of legitimate commerce, PIPA’s prescription takes an overreaching approach to policing the Internet when a more balanced and targeted approach would be more effective. The collateral damage of this approach is speech, innovation and the very integrity of the Internet.
Not surprising, the PROTECT IP Act is strongly supported by the music, film, software, gaming and publishing industries, which loses billions of dollars in revenue each year to online piracy.
Public interest group Public Knowledge opposed the bill calling it “over reaching.” Sherwin Siy, deputy legal director, said:
“The bill as written can still allow actions against sites that aren’t infringing on copyright if the site is seen to ‘enable or facilitate’ infringement — a definition that is far too broad.”
Several large corporations such as Google, Yahoo!, Ebay, American Express and Paypal have all opposed the bill. At an earlier hearing on the act, Google opposed the act saying that it will have very negative ramifications.
The community over at Al Gore's progressive Current.com hailed Wyden's hold as a heroic effort to preserve Internet freedom. The following is a sample of relevant comments:
Once again I am proud to live in Oregon and have Ron Wyden as my Senator.
I'm starting to really like this guy. We need more like him in office.
Thank you, Senator Wyden. Apparently you are one of the few legislators who have not lost their minds.
That's why we here in Oregon keep sending him back to D.C.
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