Lloyd Dogget part of bipartisan Committee Introducing Alternative to Controversial SOPA

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the Congressman for Austin and much of Central Texas, is part of a committee drafting legislation its members hope will work to curb online piracy and serve as an alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act - controversial legislation written by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX, being debated by the House Judiciary Committee today.

"Rep. Lamar Smith’s self-styled ‘Stop Online Piracy Act’ (SOPA) threatens freedom of expression, cybersecurity and technological innovation," Doggett, D-TX, said in a statement. "I have joined colleagues to offer a more focused alternative, which addresses legitimate piracy concerns without mandating censorship or blocking websites."

Doggett calls fighting copyright infringement a "reasonable goal." He says the Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade’ (OPEN) bill would do so in a way that does not "impair the Web as an important engine for economic growth."

The key difference that OPEN's authors highlight is that it would take a "follow the money approach," rather than black-listing websites. In OPEN, companies can appeal to the International Trade Commission to investigate infringing sites. If they're found to be primarily and willfully infringing copyright then the commission would issue a cease-and-desist to the infringer's advertisers to stop doing business with the site.

If you pay attention to tech news or even barely have your ear to the ground, you've no doubt heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, two infamous pieces of legislation from the House and Senate, respectively.

If passed, either of these bills would would drastically alter the Internet as we know it today. The most controversial provision is a blacklisting power given to the entertainment industry that would allow them to de-fund websites they allege to be for piracy or just general copyright infringement through the Department of Justice.

SOPA also requires ISPs to prevent American citizens from visiting sites that allegedly infringe on copyrighted material.

The bill is necessary, according to its author Rep. Lamar Smith and its entertainment industry backers, to stop piracy which they say is "killing" the entertainment industry. Critics, including the New York Times editorial board and well-known members of the tech community, say that the bill is drastic overkill and would effectively end the Internet as we know it. Also, knowing just how much piracy is hurting the industry is up for debate, as it's difficult to track these numbers.

OPEN is also authored by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Mark Warner, D-Va., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, John Campbell, R-Calif., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

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