Rep. Elton Gallegly, one of 30 co-sponsors of the Stop Online Piracy Act, said on Jan. 20 that he had concerns about the anti-Internet piracy bill, the same day congressional leaders pulled votes on his bill and a companion bill in the Senate.
“While I support efforts to protect American business and consumers from foreign thieves who steal U.S. intellectual property, I have been discussing with Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith my concerns about SOPA and those that have been raised by many of my constituents,” Gallegly explained in a statement. “I applaud Chairman Smith for listening to my concerns and the concerns of others, and for his commitment to find a solution to online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”
“I still firmly believe we must protect American jobs, American consumers and the health and safety of all Americans from foreign counterfeiters and criminals,” he added. “However, before moving forward, we must ensure that Congress listens to those who oppose the legislation.”
SOPA, along with its companion bill in the Senate, Protect IP Act, proposes serious jail time for domestic Internet users found guilty of streaming copyrighted content without permission. The bills would also enable the federal government and rights holders to seek court orders against websites accused of “enabling or facilitating” piracy.
The two measures pitted Silicon Valley powerhouses, which warned that the measures amounted to censorship, against Hollywood interests, who argued that the proposals were necessary to curb the illegal streaming of copyrighted material.
Millions of Americans declared their concern about the bills following an Internet blackout by high-tech firms, including Wikipedia, Google, Reddit and WordPress, which employed symbolism to trigger protest (Wikipedia shut down for a day) and encouraged their users to contact their local representatives to oppose the bills.
Explaining Gallegly’s decision, the congressman’s spokesman Tom Pfeifer told the Journal that “there are concerns that it was unintentionally putting the onus on Internet providers. Gallegly and others are taking another look at the bill to see if they can rework it to protect American consumers and intellectual property, and still meet the concern of the Internet providers and websites.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader tweeted on Jan. 20 that “In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT IP Act.”