Antipiracy bills for Internet go too far

[Commentary] Hollywood, drugmakers and video-game designers have lived uneasily with the dark side of the Internet for years. Bootleg websites - think back to Napster and Canadian cut-rate pharmacies - offer copyrighted goods for free or next to nothing. Profits, investments and artistic achievement are lost in this hustle. But fixing this problem fairly is a challenge. Who is to blame for the abuses? And what damage do new controls pose for a free-wheeling online world, where innovation can also be destructive?

The latest example is a pair of antipiracy bills in Congress pushed by major copyright holders such as the motion picture and recording industries plus pharmaceutical firms. On the other side is most of name-brand Silicon Valley, making the issue a battle between Big Content and Big Tech. The measures, which could be considered by year's end, would oblige online services to tightly patrol their websites for links to rogue sites, chiefly overseas. If they fail to do so, these services, such as Google, Yahoo or Facebook, could face fines and extended legal trouble from the U.S. Department of Justice. Credit card firms that handle the money may also feel the heat. The law goes beyond the sensible and sound. It targets services that don't just offer unauthorized copyright materials but also "facilitate" such sales. That fateful word, critics say, opens a Pandora's box of possible targets that may only incidentally be involved in the disputed commerce.