Senators Abandoning Web Piracy Bill
In one day, some 18 senators pulled their support of PIPA.
A controversial Web piracy bill has lost support from 18 senators, including seven former co-sponsors, according to Ars Technica.
Most of those walking away from the bipartisan Protect IP Act—legislation that critics say would allow Web censorship—are Republicans. Among the prominent departures are Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) continues to lead the push for the bill, even as former co-sponsors have left it behind. Reid has “disregarded … concerns and is pushing forward with a flawed bill that still needs much work,” Blunt tweeted.
The mass desertion came on the same day that several prominent websites, including Wikipedia, Reddit, and Google, participated in a Web black-out effort to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, which faces similar criticism.
- Read more: Best of the SOPA Blackout
Congress heard testimony Wednesday about the bills’ potential effects on the Internet. Afterward House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said there was “a lack of consensus” on how to move forward with the bill, according to The Washington Post. —Abram Brown
http://wire.inc.com/2012/01/18/anti-piracy-fight-losing-some-gop-support/
