Recording industry dismisses alternate online piracy bill

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) dismissed an alternate online piracy bill from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), arguing it is not a "meaningful solution" to the problem of online piracy.

The recording industry is among the strongest supporters of another online piracy bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). That legislation would enable the government to force Web firms to delete links to foreign websites dedicated to copyright infringement. Rep Issa and Sen Wyden have offered the OPEN Act as an alternative to SOPA; the bill would send online patent claims against foreign sites to the International Trade Commission. But RIAA senior executive vice president Mitch Glazier argued the ITC moves far too slowly to solve the urgent problem of online piracy. "Every day that these sites operate without recourse can mean millions of dollars lost to American companies, employees, and economy, and an ongoing threat to the security and safety of our citizens," Glazier said. "Why in the world would we shift enforcement against these sites from the Department of Justice and others who are well-versed in these issues to the ITC, which focuses on patents and clearly does not operate on the short time frame necessary to be effective?"