The has provoked a firestorm of controversy online.
Ostensibly drafted to crack down on piracy of films, music, and other items illicitly traded online, SOPA proponents like argue the law will protect intellectual property. But opponents of the bill fear by targeting the hosts of user-generated websites like YouTube instead of the offending uploaders; hoist huge legal uncertainties and liabilities onto websites and start-ups; and create potential security threats in the way it redirects traffic from so-called 鈥渞ogue鈥� websites.
The , introduced by Texas Rep.Lamar Smith, is a big deal in tech-savvy Austin. Today, members of Austin鈥檚 tech community are making the case to Sen. John Cornyn鈥檚 office that SOPA is a bad bill.The meeting, scheduled with Cornyn's regional director Sandy Edwards, is an outgrowth of . A call for citizens to meet with their senators on SOPA emerged out of
The SOPA bill will be taken up again by Congress soon. In contrast to complaints earlier hearings , a hearing on the bill鈥檚 search-redirecting and blocking properties has been scheduled for next week.
The hearing is being held by the . (A companion bill to SOPA, the PROTECT IP Act, or PIPA, is being considered by the House of Representatives.) It is set for Wednesday, January 18 鈥� the same day Reddit and several other popular websites, , are scheduled to go offline in protest against SOPA.
This video from outlines several objections to the bill.
from on .
