Wyden vows to fight stricter Internet rules


Legislation to impose stricter copyright protection on the Internet has become some of the most controversial of the 112th Congress, and Sen. Ron Wyden has vowed to block it.

Share this article!

Legislation to impose stricter copyright protection on the Internet has become some of the most controversial of the 112th Congress, dividing major American corporations and free speech advocates.

And Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has vowed to block any version of it from passing.

The Stop Online Piracy Act, as the House version is known, would enable owners of copyrighted content and the Justice Department to take action against “rogue” websites in other countries that facilitate the unauthorized distribution of material, especially movies and music, produced in the United States. It would do so by enabling them to pressure intermediaries such as service providers, search engines, advertising providers and payment services that do business with those sites.

It also seeks to protect manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and other goods and services who see knockoff versions of their products advertised on such sites.

Read more in today’s Statesman Journal.