SESSION 15: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY

SESSION 15: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY

INTERNET PIRACY BILL IN TROUBLE

TEXT TAKEN AND/OR ADAPTED FROM:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

THE TEXT:

Several prominent websites like Wikipedia and Reddit went 'dark' on Wednesday to protest against the proposed anti-piracy legislation called SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act). Many other sites oppose SOPA but did not “go dark” in Wednesday’s 24-hour protest. These include Mozilla (owner of the Firefox web browser), Facebook, eBay and Google. A similar bill in the US Senate, the Protection of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) would allow U.S. copyright holders to get court orders against foreign websites that steal from them. Sites that abuse copyright would not be able to use many online advertising networks or credit card services. It is now doubtful the bill will get the support of the sixty senators it needs in a crucial vote on Tuesday, January 24th.

The entertainment, pharmaceutical and fashion industries strongly support the bills. They lose billions of dollars every year to copyright violators. Internet companies oppose the bills, saying they will lead to censorship that would damage the Internet by discouraging new online start-ups. A letter to Congress signed by 130 technology entrepreneurs and executives expressed their concerns. It said SOPA and PIPA would "hurt economic growth and chill innovation in legitimate services that help people create, communicate, and make money online". Wikipedia has said it would continue the fight. It declares on its front page: "We're not done yet." It also said: “More than 162 million people saw our message asking if you could imagine a world without free knowledge.”

Internet Piracy Bill in Trouble - 20th January, 2012

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/