Donny Shaw
OpenCongress
11/22/2010
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act has all the qualities of a bill on the fast track for becoming law. Its chief sponsor is the chairman of the committee it was referred to, it has a long list of bipartisan cosponsors, including a mix of conservative and liberal senators, and it was reported out of committee by a unanimous 19-0 vote. But, last Friday, Sen. Ron Wyden [D, OR] threw a log in its path by announcing that he would do everything within his means to stop the bill if it is brought to the Senate floor.
The bill would give the Justice Department new power to shut down entire internet domains if they deem copyright infringement to be “central” to the domain’s business (or if they have links to domains the AG deems to be involved with infringement). It also calls for the DoJ to set up a public list of sites they hbelieve to be “dedicated to infringing activities,” but for which they have not taken action against yet…
…Wyden is literally the only senator to have taken a stand against the bill, but under Senate rules, there’s a lot a single senator can do to slow down or stop a bill, especially with time being so tight in the lame duck session…
Read the entire article at OpenCongress.
Read also Did Senator Wyden Save the Internet?
