The Stop Online Piracy Act (aka SOPA) Is Officially Dead!

Yeah, you heard me right, the Stop Online Piracy Act bill (and it’s sister the Protect IP Act, aka PIPA)  is dead and buried, atleast for the time being. Incase you are wondering what is SOPA and why it had to be stopped, check my former post on: What Is SOPA and Why It Is Bad For The Internet. Due to the clamour caused by blackout from the world’s biggest sites and backlash from other anti-SOPA voices, the SOPA bill has been pulled from the US Senate. And it’s major supporters have decided to let the bill die a premature death.

RIP SOPA!

Speaking through a post, the chief sponsor of SOPA, Lamar Smith, said that the bill is being pulled from the US Senate because of the unfavourable responses the bill got. According to him, the Stop Online Piracy Bill might be re-opened later in the future. Exerpts:

“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.”

Hopefully, the bill is dead for real. It should not be resurrected for any reason whatsoever. RIP SOPA!