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| AFP Photo / Stan Honda |
Opposition
to the controversial SOPA/PIPA legislation has caused a major stir among US
lawmakers on both sides of the house, with 18 Senators, including seven
co-sponsors, turning their backs on the legislation.
The
turnaround by Senators who had previously supported the proposed Stop Online
Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), spearheaded by
the by movie and music industries, puts the total number of Senators publicly
opposing the bill at 25. Another 13 Senators are leaning toward opposition.
The number
of Senators openly supporting the bill has dropped to 33. Of the 25 Senators
opposing the legislation, 17 are Republicans and eight are Democrats.
The
withdrawal of support came in the wake of Wednesday’s Internet blackout.
Politicians
who abandoned SOPA as the strike hit include Republicans Marco Rubio, Kelly
Ayotte, Roy Blunt, John Boozman, Ben Cardin and Orrin Hatch and Democrat Ben
Cardin. Orrin Hatch of Utah announced on his Facebook page that he acknowledges
that intellectual property theft is a “real and growing problem” that must be
“combated”, but added that he cannot support the PIPA legislation as it
currently stands.
“Rushing
something with such potential for far-reaching consequences is something I
cannot support and that is why I will not only vote against moving the bill
forward next week but also remove my co-sponsorship of the bill,” Orrin Hatch
said.
He added
that legislators should allow time for the both sides in the conflict to come
together and “find a reasonable solution”.
Senator
Marco Rubio of Florida also posted a message on his Facebook page saying he was
in favor of combating piracy but believed doing so must not stifle innovation
in a dynamic and open Internet. He urged Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to
abandon his plan to rush the bill to the floor and instead called on Senators
to “take more time to address the concerns raised by all sides, and come up
with new legislation that addresses Internet piracy while protecting free and
open access to the Internet.”
Kelly
Ayotte of New Hampshire posted her message on Twitter: “I'm pulling my support
bc your concerns deserve consideration before Congress moves fwd.” Missouri
Senator Roy Blunt also announced his change of heart via a Tweet: “We can find
a solution that will protect lawful content. But this bill is flawed &
that's why I'm withdrawing my support.”
The SOPA
and PIPA bills are largely viewed as a means to crack down on out-of-the-US
websites involved in violating intellectual property legislation.According to
supporters of the bills, SOPA and PIPA will help protect jobs in the film and
music industries.
In turn,
those opposing the legislation, among them Facebook CEO and founder Mark
Zuckerberg, believe that it will have irreversible and far-reaching
consequences, including for the economy and innovation.
“The
Internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and
connected world,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page. “We can't let poorly
thought out laws get in the way of the Internet's development. Facebook opposes
SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the
Internet.”
A number of
other popular Internet resources signaled their opposition to the bills on
Wednesday, and many joined words and actions.
The
Internet’s largest reference tool, Wikipedia, went black for 24 hours to
protest the legislation, while Google blacked out its logo in US, directing
people to a page where they could sign a petition against the bills. Google
said the initiative had gathered some 4.5 million voices.
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