Internet blacklist power to be stripped from Senate's PROTECT IP Act

[nsane.forums]

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) doesn't want to give up his DNS-based Interent blacklisting plans—but he's willing to put them on hold. One of the key drivers of the PROTECT IP Act in the Senate announced today that he will recommend stripping the DNS-blocking provisions from his bill while further technical studies are underway.

The complaints against DNS-based blocking have been vocal ones. Leahy announced his plan today to introduce a "manager's amendment" to the current bill after hearing from "engineers, human rights groups, and... a number of Vermonters." Not that he's convinced DNS blocking is really problematic.

I remain confident that the ISPs—including the cable industry, which is the largest association of ISPs—would not support the legislation if its enactment created the problems that opponents of this provision suggest. Nonetheless, this is in fact a highly technical issue, and I am prepared to recommend we give it more study before implementing it.

As I prepare a managers’ amendment to be considered during the floor debate, I will therefore propose that the positive and negative effects of this provision be studied before implemented, so that we can focus on the other important provisions in this bill, which are essential to protecting American intellectual property online, and the American jobs that are tied to intellectual property. I regret that law enforcement will not have this remedy available to it when websites operating overseas are stealing American property, threatening the safety and security of American consumers. However, the bill remains a strong and balanced approach to protecting intellectual property through a no-fault, no-liability system that leverages the most relevant players in the Internet ecosystem.

Federal judges could still order sites cut off by US-based payment processors and ad networks, but actual Internet blacklisting would be provisionally off the table.

While these sorts of issues seem like they should have come up during drafting or during hearings on the bill, PROTECT IP has already moved out of committee and to the Senate floor, where it currently suffers a hold by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) will try to move the bill forward regardless on January 24, and the late change from Leahy appears designed to get the current legislation passed now rather than allow opposition to crystallize around a totally different approach, like the OPEN Act now being pitched by Wyden.

DNS blocking remains in the House version of the bill, called SOPA, though rumors suggest it too could be altered soon.

Opponents like Public Knowledge aren't satisfied. "We appreciate the action Chairman Leahy is taking to improve his legislation," said attorney Sherwin Siy. "Even with that change, however, the bill would still be unacceptable. The definitions in the bill are still far too sweeping, it still grants too much enforcement power to private parties, and still confers inappropriate blanket immunity for private companies."

Sen. Wyden is glad to see the changes, but remains opposed to PIPA. "It is welcome news that proponents of PIPA are finally accepting that it contains major flaws," he said in a statement given to Ars. "Unfortunately, this announcement to study the DNS provision does not eliminate the clearly identified threat to net security contained within this bill. Beyond the DNS provisions, the bill still establishes a censorship regime that threatens speech, innovation, and the future of the American economy. I remain firm in my intent to block consideration of the PIPA bill until these issues are addressed and I am committed to doing all I can to ensure that whatever legislative course is taken, that it is fully transparent, fully understood and fully considered by all those who value the Internet."

View: Original Article

[Hottwire]

In a move the technology sector will surely see as a victory, a controversial antipiracy bill being debated in Congress will no longer include a provision that would require ISPs to block access to overseas Web sites accused of piracy.

Rep. Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), one of the biggest backers of the Stop Online Piracy Act, today said he plans to remove the Domain Name System or DNS-blocking provision.

"After consultation with industry groups across the country," Smith said in a statement released by his office, "I feel we should remove DNS-blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the [u.S. House Judiciary] Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision.

"We will continue to look for ways," Smith continued, "to ensure that foreign Web sites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers."

A watered down SOPA means Smith improves his chances of getting the bill through Congress. Smith's move comes a day after a backers of a similar bill in the Senate, known as the Protect IP Act, began to backtrack on the issue of DNS.

Without the DNS provision, SOPA now looks a great deal more like the OPEN Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), which was created to be an alternative bill to SOPA.

s Sen. Patrick Leahy, the sponsor of Protect IP, a bill heavily supported by the music and film industries, yesterday said he would yank the DNS sections that mandate DNS blocking and redirecting.

The technology sector was nearly unanimously against the bill and labored to rally opposition. The few tech companies that did support the bill, such as GoDaddy, felt a harsh backlash from customer-companies.

Original Source Link

[beer]

Thank you for posting this update. Hope to hear more good news.

[Ambrocious]

Lamar Smith is worried that online pirates will "sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers". Not once in my life as a pirate have I EVER bought anything which was pirated. He's making it sound like pirates are raking in the cash in truck loads. Moron.

[beer]

You are right, Lamar Smith is stupid. I have never once hear a person say, "I pirate because the price is cheaper." I think if he could, he envisions bringing innovations of the world back to the time when he was a kid.

A lot of people I know stopped pirating movies because of Netflix(up until their Qwikster and price increase fiasco anyways). People don't want to pay for content that has a history of being :shit: Some of the movies I have seen are so crappy, I wouldn't watch it even if was available online for free.

[Adrean]

I always go to the theater when I watch an 'excellent' movie...even if I already watched it online.

Anyway, does anyone happen to know any way I can do to fight against sopa (as I'm in Canada)? Everything seems to point to US congress or sumthin. :battle:

[DKT27]

@Hottwire: Threads merged. ;)

[beer]

I always go to the theater when I watch an 'excellent' movie...even if I already watched it online.

Anyway, does anyone happen to know any way I can do to fight against sopa (as I'm in Canada)? Everything seems to point to US congress or sumthin. :battle:

I couldn't find the site anymore... I could have sworn that I seen a SOPA protest website for international users.

[Adrean]

I couldn't find the site anymore... I could have sworn that I seen a SOPA protest website for international users.

were you talking bout this? http://americancensorship.org/

[beer]

I couldn't find the site anymore... I could have sworn that I seen a SOPA protest website for international users.

were you talking bout this? http://americancensorship.org/

I am not sure if it's bad memory or the page looked different before, but looking through the site there is a place for international users. Nice find.

:cheers: