Press Release
Free Press Action Fund: Even Without Blocking Provisions, Problems Remain in IP Bills
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- On Friday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said that he has suggested removing a provision from the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that would allow for blocking domain names of websites that illegally post copyrighted content.
This follows news yesterday that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would consider making similar changes to the Senate's PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). Free Press is one of many groups opposing both SOPA and PIPA.
Free Press Action Fund Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:
“Representative Smith's indication that he would consider removing DNS blocking provisions from SOPA, echoing yesterday's developments on the Senate side, could be another positive step -- depending on how this change is carried out. However, both proposals still threaten openness and freedom online with a range of overbroad measures. We believe that the rights of content creators should be respected, but many problems remain with the approach these bills take to achieve that goal."
This follows news yesterday that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would consider making similar changes to the Senate's PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). Free Press is one of many groups opposing both SOPA and PIPA.
Free Press Action Fund Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:
“Representative Smith's indication that he would consider removing DNS blocking provisions from SOPA, echoing yesterday's developments on the Senate side, could be another positive step -- depending on how this change is carried out. However, both proposals still threaten openness and freedom online with a range of overbroad measures. We believe that the rights of content creators should be respected, but many problems remain with the approach these bills take to achieve that goal."
