(2010-11-19) Coica Passes Committee

COICA was passed unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Because it is so ill-conceived and poorly written, the law professors wrote, “the Act, if enacted into law, will not survive judicial scrutiny, and will, therefore, never be used to address the problem (online copyright and trademark infringement) that it is designed to address. Its significance, therefore, is entirely symbolic — and the symbolism it presents is ugly and insidious. For the first time, the United States would be requiring Internet Service Providers to block speech because of its content.”... To be fair, COICA does have some supporters in addition to sponsor Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vermont) and his 17 co-sponsors including Chuck Schumer, Arlen Specter, Charles Grassley, Kristen Gillibrand, Orrin Hatch, Amy Klobuchar, Tom Coburn, Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Bob Menendez and Sheldon Whitehouse... Over the course of his career, Leahy has received $885,216 from the TV, movie and music industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Update: A bill that critics say would have given the government power to censor the Internet will not pass this year thanks to the Oregon Democrat (Ron Wyden), who announced his opposition during a recent committee hearing. Individual Senators can place holds on pending legislation, in this case meaning proponents of the bill will be forced to reintroduce the measure and will not be able to proceed until the next Congress convenes.