Cutting through the online chatter today, the Washington Post’s PostPartisan blog makes clear that the PROTECT IP Act “won’t ‘break’ the Internet.”
In the piece, Post Editorial Writer Eva Rodriguez highlights how the bill works to defend intellectual property rights without censoring legitimate companies.
To hear some critics tell it, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and its non-identical – and in my opinion, far better – Senate twin PIPA (Protect IP Act) would “break” the Internet, turn Google and its cohorts into full-time Internet cops, and would end the freedom of speech as we know it.
Not only is this hyperbolic, it’s based on what I’ll charitably call misinformation.
For instance, some critics howl that legitimate enterprises such as Google could face ruin if they fail to spot and then bring down rogue sites that peddle counterfeit goods.
Not true. PIPA, for example, specifically shields such companies from liability. It does not require Google or Yahoo! or any other legitimate Internet entity to scour the universe for infringing actors. The Justice Department – and probably more often than not – the rightful copyright holders will do that. Keep in mind, that the legislation targets foreign websites that would otherwise be out of reach of U.S. law enforcement.
Click here to read the full story from the Washington Post.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ role on the Senate Judiciary Committee.