Can Issa, Wyden Change Piracy Debate?

The debate in Congress over the best way to shut down foreign websites that steal U.S. copyright material and sell counterfeit goods could be about to shift. At least that's the hope of Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who outlined their strategy during a press briefing with reporters at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The unlikely partners have teamed to oppose two bills in the House and the Senate, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) that would shut down foreign websites by forcing search engines and domain name servers to block the infringing sites, an approach the lawmakers say will damage the architecture of the Internet. Issa, Wyden and a group of bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers are pushing a bill called the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN), which would use the International Trade Commission to shut off the funds that support the infringing websites. Issa, Wyden and the tech community know they're in for a tough fight that's shaping up to be one of the biggest fights in Washington pitting the Hollywood and the content community up against big technology. "I am not underestimating what a tough lift this is," said Sen Wyden, who put a hold on PIPA last year. "My goal for 2011 was to keep PIPA off the floor so we would have a chance to go to the country. I'm not going to pretend this is a walk in the park. We're up against the toughest, savviest lobbying folks."