United States House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary
 
     
     
     
     
     
   
 



 
   
 

Statement from Chairman Smith on Senate Delay of Vote on PROTECT IP Act

Washington, D.C. — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today issued the following statement in response to the Senate decision to postpone consideration of legislation to help combat online piracy.

Chairman Smith:  “I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products. 

“The problem of online piracy is too big to ignore. American intellectual property industries provide 19 million high-paying jobs and account for more than 60 percent of U.S. exports. The theft of America’s intellectual property costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion annually and results in the loss of thousands of American jobs.  Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while American innovators and job creators are under attack. 

“The online theft of American intellectual property is no different than the theft of products from a store.  It is illegal and the law should be enforced both in the store and online.

“The Committee will continue work with both copyright owners and Internet companies to develop proposals that combat online piracy and protect America’s intellectual property.  We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who have an honest difference of opinion about how best to address this widespread problem.  The Committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”

The House Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution.

Bill Information

Dispelling the Myths Surrounding SOPA

Manager's Amendment

Summary of the Manager's Amendment

Press Resources

Statement from Chairman Smith on Senate Delay of Vote on PROTECT IP Act

OPEN Act Increases Bureaucracy, Won't Stop IP Theft

Brake the Internet Pirates (The Wall Street Journal)

Smith to Remove DNS Blocking from SOPA

Fighting Online Piracy (The New York Times)

Protecting Americans from Web scams (New York Post)

Setting the record straight on SOPA (The Hill)

Digital thieves are stealing from me (The Hill)

Smith: Law need to control cyber piracy (The Statesman)

 

 

 
 
Footer

Footer