Last week, the long-awaited rogue website bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3261) was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), IP Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), and a long, bipartisan list of additional cosponsors. In introducing the bill, Chairman Smith also announced that they will hold a hearing on the issue on Nov. 16th.
Similar to the PROTECT IP Act , S. 968, passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year, SOPA calls upon internet intermediaries (such as ISPs, search engines, payment processors and ad networks) to assist copyright owners and brand owners with the enforcement of their rights against rogue websites. Both bills would oblige these intermediaries to take steps to either block access to or terminate a financial affiliation with the rogue site if certain conditions are met. While the underlying approaches are somewhat similar, the bills are quite different in scope. In several respects SOPA is much broader in scope and application than the PROTECT IP Act. SIIA is still reviewing the legislation. Read more at The National Journal, PC Magazine, and The Hill.
Keith Kupferschmid is General Counsel and SVP, Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement.