A coalition of 359 companies and associations, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will send a letter today (Thursday 9/23/2011) to every member of Congress urging them to pass legislation to combat online copyright infringement.
While the letter itself does not mention the stalled Protect IP Act, an anti-piracy bill that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year, the Chamber of Commerce referred to the act in a press release announcing the letter.
Mark Elliot, executive vice president of the Chamber's Global Intellectual Property Center was quoted in the release to say that "Rogue sites legislation, such as the Senate’s Protect IP Act, is an absolute necessity to address this scourge of the online marketplace,".
The group argues that online piracy destroys American jobs and confuses consumers. The group wrote that: "These rogue sites—those websites dedicated to counterfeiting and piracy—put American jobs, consumers, and innovation at risk,"
Members of the group included companies large and small. The larger companies in the coalition include Comcast; Wal-Mart; and Ford Motor Company.
The Protect IP Act would give the Justice Department the authority to close down websites “dedicated to” copyright or trademark infringements.
But Internet freedom advocates argue that the act would “muzzle free speech” and give the government too much power to censor websites. The bill has been held up in the Senate since May.
Is your voice being heard in this important area of deliberation? Are you doing everything you can to protect your IP?
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