Scope of U.S. Online Piracy Bill Too Broad, Says the Business Software Alliance
BY Sarah Lai Stirland | Monday, November 21 2011
A piece of legislation designed to thwart online piracy and counterfeiting being considered in the House is still too broad in its scope not to risk interfering with innovation, said the head of the Business Software Alliance on Monday.
The comment is noteworthy because the BSA has historically been one of the most high profile groups pushing for ever more stringent copyright laws, since its members suffer from widespread software piracy both domestically and around the world.
So it was surprising to hear BSA President and CEO Robert Hollyman agree with groups it is usually on the opposite side of and say that the legislation in its current form "could sweep in more then just truly egregious actors."
He added:
Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights cannot be compromised. And the security of networks and communications is indispensable to a thriving Internet economy. Some observers have raised reasonable questions about whether certain SOPA provisions might have unintended consequences in these areas. BSA has long stood against filtering or monitoring the Internet. All of these concerns should be duly considered and addressed.
Other opposition has also arisen against Congress' legislative efforts, and the U.S.' efforts so far to seize domain names first and ask questions later.
On Friday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that "stresses the need to protect the integrity of the global internet and freedom of communication by refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names," according to the IDG News service.
The Europeans have always disliked the U.S.' dominance over the control of the domain name system, and it's unlikely that they're going to take the events as they're unfolding lying down.