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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has delayed vote on a controversial antipiracy bill originally set for consideration this coming Tuesday.
A massive protest by hundreds of Internet websites including Wikipedia, Reddit.com and Google resulted in a number of the bill’s co-sponsors bailing on Wednesday.
Reid did not offer an explanation for the delay.
The Senate Majority Leader said he still hopes a compromise can be reached "in the coming weeks."
"There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved," he said in a statement. "Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year."
Websites like eBay, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia and a whole host of others believe that the current bill circulating through the House - The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) – and a companion bill in the Senate – Protect IP Act (PIPA) – would, in the words of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, cause "an explosion of innovation-killing lawsuits and litigation."
Both acts are designed to prevent mostly overseas companies from engaging in trademark infringement, however, the measures as they stand now, would also require ISPs and search engines to block said websites, ultimately holding the “messenger” liable if they fail to do so.
On Thursday, the US Feds shut down a popular website, Megaupload.com, charging various individuals connected to the web streaming site with conspiracy.
Among those charged, Kim Dotcom, 37, aka Kim Schmitz, a German who reportedly lives in New Zealand’s most expensive house. He appeared in Auckland's North Shore District Court on Friday alongside three others charged.
"We don't mind if there is press coverage," Mr Dotcom said to judge David McNaughton after media outlets filed an application to film the court appearance. "We have nothing to hide."
The hactivist group Anonymous responded to the Magaupload.com action by causing both the US Justice Department and FBI websites to crash Thursday evening. A number of other pro-anti-piracy company websites were also targeted.
The online gambling industry over the past year has found itself caught up in the cross fire of US domain seizure actions. The sector was among the first targeted with domain seizures back in 2008 after Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear filed a suit ordering ISPs to pull the plug on over 140 online gambling related domain names. The industry ultimately prevented this action.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
