(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY CHRISTIAN BRYANT

The House Judiciary Committee postpone debate over Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, on Friday after being presented with 30 amendments to the bill. And that debate hasn’t been without a few fireworks. Here’s The Washington Post on last Thursday’s committee meeting.

“The circus atmosphere of the hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act ... reflected the high-stakes, emotional nature of the debate over how to protect copyrighted movies, songs or books online without trampling on the free speech of individuals and companies.”

Opponents of the bill gave the committee 30 amendments to try to slow down the bill’s approval. Also on Thursday, several Internet giants — including Twitter, Google, and Facebook — took out a full page ad protesting the proposed legislation, and 83 Internet engineers sent an open letter to Congress saying the act would, quote, “seriously harm” the U.S.’ role in Internet infrastructure.

On RT, a programmer explains exactly what that “serious harm” would include.

Aaron Swartz: “It says any site that has a significant amount of infringing material, the government doesn’t just take down the infringing material, it takes down the site entirely. And it does it without even a trial to find out whether it’s illegal or not. And, as you know, copyright law is extremely complicated. There are lots of things that look like copyright infringement but turn out to be licensed in one way or another... Even a site like YouTube, which has a mix of different kinds of content, under this bill, the entire site could get shut down.”

One writer takes a more satirical look at the proposed bill, and those writing it. He suggests that the bill’s authors have no clue what they’re talking about and don’t care to know either.

“It’s of course perfectly standard for members of Congress to not be exceptionally proficient in technological matters. But for some committee members, the issue did not stop at mere ignorance. Rather, it seemed there was in many cases an outright refusal to understand what is undoubtedly a complex issue dealing with highly-sensitive technologies.”

As PC World explains -- this act isn’t just about online piracy -- supporters of the bill say it will protect numerous American industries.

“It's about intellectual property--all property ... For example, a foreign website selling knock-off designer purses or dresses to Americans would also be covered under SOPA ... As [co-CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment Tim Rothman] points out, ‘defective’ goods are damaging to brands.”

The debate will continue on Wednesday, just before Congress adjourns for the holiday break, even though some committee members are expected to be out of town. Spokesperson for Public Knowledge Sherwin Siy commented that...

“...scheduling a vote ‘when many members may well be absent demonstrates a clear desire to continue dodging the questions raised by experts, members, and the public.’”