Meanwhile, in news of bills that a lot of people seem to really hate, let’s talk about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working on a new anti-piracy bill as an alternative to SOPA and its Senate cousin, the Protect IP Act, says Hillicon Valley. Instead of calling on Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and internet service providers to track down and “de-index” sites accused of trafficking in pirated material, the bill would rely on the International Trade Commission to issue cease-and-desist orders against the ITC finds to be engaged in copyright infringement.
Once issued the court order would compel payment providers and online advertising services to cease providing services to the offending website. The approach comports with current copyright law and hews to the “follow the money” approach favored by Google and other tech companies.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is said to be among the group crafting the legislation. That’s important because he’s already said he’d filibuster the Protect IP Act right out of existence if it ever makes it to the floor.
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