The White House today
responded to public petitions asking for the Administration to oppose
bills the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual
Property Act (PIPA). The reply is here.
The following is
attributed to Sherwin Siy, deputy legal director of Public Knowledge:
“The White House
has made a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate over the Stop
Online Piracy Act ( SOPA) in the House and the Protect Intellectual
Property Act (PIPA) in the Senate.
“The statement,
co-authored by Victoria Espinel, the IP enforcement coordinator,
Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer, and Howard Schmidt, the
cybersecurity coordinator, affirms the message that legislation
tampering with the Domain Name System (DNS), one of the fundamental
building blocks of the Internet, poses real risks to the security
and stability of the Internet.
“The White House
also was correct to oppose the parts of the bill that would give
private parties far too much authority to pursue their own litigation
that could harm startup companies and stifle innovation. The
statement also highlights the need for any legislation to be narrowly
tailored to criminal violations of existing law and with appropriate
due process to ensure that online speech is not stifled.
“This statement,
combined with the decision of House Judiciary Committee Chairman
Lamar Smith (R-TX) to postpone consideration of his bill next week,
shows that the messages being sent by the public in opposition to
this bill are finally getting through to Washington.
“That message
should be heard in the Senate as well, where a vote is scheduled for
Jan. 24. We urge the Senate leadership to postpone consideration of
the bill until a consensus bill can be drafted.”