"Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act" Introduced

Last week, Senators Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), introduced legislation intended to give the Justice Department additional tools to combat online piracy. The proposed "Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act," would strengthen the Justice Department's hand, providing authority that would allow it to effectively shut down websites dedicated to infringing activities, block credit card payments to the infringing websites, and block advertising through their domains.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) immediately hailed the legislation and said it would help "combat efforts to steal the lifeblood of one of our nation's most important industries." The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also offered its support.

The digital rights public interest group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) strongly criticized the legislation, which it described as a "censorship bill" that "runs roughshod over freedom of speech on the Internet." One aspect of the bill with which EFF takes particular issue is the provisions that allow the blocking of entire domains, rather than just the part of a site that may be infringing.

Public Knowledge, another public interest organization, welcomed the bill while at the same time warning that it has some "troubling political and technical implications, particularly as it attempts to extend U.S. control over the worldwide Internet addressing system."

A copy of the bill, S. 3804, can be found here.