Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid (R) of Nevada, has indefinitely postponed the U.S. Senate’s vote on the internet censorship bill named Stop Online Piracy Act / Protect IP Act or SOPA / PIPA.
“In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT I.P. Act.” – Harry Reid
The blackouts by Wikipedia and many more websites along with around 13 million people shouting out online have been effective. Some senator’s website were shut down due to the sheer amount of protest traffic they were getting from anti-SOPA citizens.
“Anti-
#PIPA,#SOPA traffic has temporarily shut down our website. Learn more about#open athttp://www.keepthewebopen.com.” – Tweet from Senator Ron Wynden (D) of Oregon on Jan. 18, 2012
In San Francisco & New York City, protestors took to the streets in the thousands to oppose SOPA on January 18th, 2012.
As of January 18th, 35 Senators publicly opposed PIPA and it only takes 41 “no” votes to permanently stall SOPA / PIPA in the Senate.
This turned out to be the largest online protest in history.
“This was the largest online protest in history. The MPAA [Motion Picture Association of America] was trying to quietly force this bill through Congress, but when internet users started paying attention, real democracy happened. This is a watershed moment in the fight against lobbyists’ influence on politics.” – Fight for the Future Co-founder Tiffiniy Cheng
“We sent the MPAA back to the drawing board. But any law that lets the copyright lobby block our websites, censor our search results, or cut off our Paypal accounts–without even going through a judge–will be soundly defeated.” – Fight for the Future Co-founder Holmes Wilson
SOPA Strike Timeline from May 12, 2011 introduction in the Senate to January 18th internet Protest here:
SOPA Strike Timeline
President Obama administration blog opposing SOPA here:
Obama Don’t Like SOPA
There is no doubt that the Senate will come up with a new form of this bill in the near future. At least now, they have a good idea what they are up against and exactly what the American people won’t stand for.
More from Senator Harry Reid:
“There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved. Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year, with the movie industry alone supporting over 2.2 million jobs. We must take action to stop these illegal practices. We live in a country where people rightfully expect to be fairly compensated for a day’s work, whether that person is a miner in the high desert of Nevada, an independent band in New York City, or a union worker on the back lots of a California movie studio.
“I admire the work that Chairman Leahy has put into this bill. I encourage him to continue engaging with all stakeholders to forge a balance between protecting Americans’ intellectual property, and maintaining openness and innovation on the internet. We made good progress through the discussions we’ve held in recent days, and I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks.” – Harry Reid
More Information on SOPA here:
SOPA Info