SOPA Officially Pronounced Dead

Congressman Lamar Smith, the man dubiously labeled as the creator and sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, announced friday that SOPA, in its current form, has been pulled from the table.

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith (R-Texas) said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”

If you yell loud enough, you’re bound to get someone to hear you. In the case of the internet, if you get the most populated sites to shut down and flood Lamar Smith’s inbox with mail against the legislation…that will work as well.

Earlier this week, SOPA faced heat from the White House threatening to VETO the bill if it ever reached the President’s desk. At this juncture, Congressman Smith is going “back to the drawing board” preventing the White House from needing to get involved.

While this is a huge victory for the internet, and democracy in and of itself, yesterday’s actions by the Federal Government shutting down megaupload.com signals that the FED isn’t going to abstain from activities transpiring on the internet.

Congressman Smith (via mashable) released this following statement:

“We need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products. “The problem of online piracy is too big to ignore. American intellectual property industries provide 19 million high-paying jobs and account for more than 60% of U.S. exports. The theft of America’s intellectual property costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion annually and results in the loss of thousands of American jobs. Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while American innovators and job creators are under attack.”

“The online theft of American intellectual property is no different than the theft of products from a store. It is illegal and the law should be enforced both in the store and online.

“The Committee will continue work with copyright owners, Internet companies, financial institutions to develop proposals that combat online piracy and protect America’s intellectual property. We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who have an honest difference of opinion about how best to address this widespread problem. The Committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”

RELATED LINKS:

Sopa For Dummies: A Simple Explanation of the Truth

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