House Deliberates ‘Stop Online Piracy Act’

Supporters and detractors of the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) gave testimony before the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, as the legislative chamber seeks to toughen the nation’s intellectual property enforcement measures during the current legislative session.

The U.S. Copyright Office joined Hollywood studios and other content distributors in endorsing of SOPA, with Maria Pallante, Register of Copyrights, testifying before the House committee that the legislation “provides 21st century tools to the Department of Justice with respect to foreign infringing websites.” Pallante stressed her office’s view that SOPA neither embodies a “zero tolerance” enforcement approach that would risk curtailing of First Amendment rights; nor does the legislation “affect the safe harbors that Internet service providers enjoy under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).” The full text of Pallante’s statement is here.

Google’s copyright counsel, Katherine Oyama, countered with several examples of how SOPA would “undermine” the DMCA safe harbors, impacting the business of “virtually every Internet company.”

Full video webcast of Tuesday’s House proceedings is here; more on the lobbying battle between opposing interests over SOPA at The Hill.

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