Groups, Firms Push For Action On Online IP Bill

A group of 40 companies and business groups wrote Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to push for action on his legislation aimed at cracking down on online piracy and counterfeiting.

The coalition urged Sen Leahy to push for Senate approval of the legislation when Congress returns in mid-November for a lame-duck session after the November midterm elections. The legislation would give the Justice Department new authority to file a civil action against a domain name linked to a website trafficking in illegal copyrighted content or counterfeit goods. Under the bill, the company that sold the domain name registration to the website could be forced to revoke the domain name of the site if it is being used for copyright infringement or counterfeiting. The Judiciary Committee was set to mark up the bill in late September but postponed action on the measure when the Senate recessed for the midterm elections.