Mac Observer wrote:
U.S. President Barak Obama publicly condemned the proposed SOPA legislation for the first time over the weekend, and Congress responded by dropping the bill, at least for now. SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, was presented as a tool to help stop online intellectual property theft, although opponents to the bill said it would give the government control over the content Internet users can view.
-but-
The Hill wrote:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowed to move forward with a controversial online piracy bill on Sunday, despite the White House expressing concern with the measure.
[...]
The Senate's Protect IP Act and its House counterpart, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), are designed to go after foreign websites that offer illegal copies of music, movies and TV shows with impunity.
[...]
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the sponsor of Protect IP, said last week that he is open to making changes to the site-blocking provision. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said on Saturday that he plans to drop the provision from the House bill.
Despite expressing some concerns, the White House statement emphasized the administration's commitment to passing a tough new anti-piracy law this year.
[...]
The Senate is scheduled to vote on Protect IP on Jan. 24.
The status of SOPA is unclear. Rep. Smith, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has promised to push ahead with the bill, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has promised him the House will not vote on it unless there is a "consensus" on the bill.
[...]
The Senate's Protect IP Act and its House counterpart, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), are designed to go after foreign websites that offer illegal copies of music, movies and TV shows with impunity.
[...]
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the sponsor of Protect IP, said last week that he is open to making changes to the site-blocking provision. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said on Saturday that he plans to drop the provision from the House bill.
Despite expressing some concerns, the White House statement emphasized the administration's commitment to passing a tough new anti-piracy law this year.
[...]
The Senate is scheduled to vote on Protect IP on Jan. 24.
The status of SOPA is unclear. Rep. Smith, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has promised to push ahead with the bill, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has promised him the House will not vote on it unless there is a "consensus" on the bill.
