Motion Picture
Association of America Chairman Chris Dodd is quoted today as saying that there
is a possibility the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) can be revived.
The following
is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and CEO of Public Knowledge:
“It should
be clear to everyone by now that SOPA and its Senate counterpart, PIPA, (Preventing
Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property
Act) are
still dead, despite the yearnings of Senator Dodd.
“It is
simply amazing that a mere two months after 14 million people, in one of the
largest protests of its kind, voiced their opposition to SOPA and PIPA and
after the dramatic Web blackout day, that the head of the Motion Picture
Association of America said the dreadfully flawed legislation could be reworked
in the back rooms of Washington.
“MPAA and
its allies continue to believe they lost the fight because people didn’t
understand the bills. That was,
and is, not the case. The bills
were pulled because millions of people who do understand the Internet saw the
dangers involved with the bills.
“Before
Congress starts to legislate again, it should start over, determine the nature
of the problem it wants to solve, and conduct a wide-ranging public discussion
on possible solutions.”