Author of U.S. online piracy bill vows not to buckle

Rep Lamar Smith (R-TX), the lawmaker behind a bill to combat online piracy, vowed to press ahead in the face of fierce criticism from Internet giants such as Google and Facebook.

"It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don't want to protect American consumers and businesses," he said. "Are they somehow benefitting by directing customers to these foreign websites? Do they profit from selling advertising to these foreign websites? And if they do, they need to be stopped. And I don't mind taking that on." The Stop Online Piracy Act, which is before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee chaired by Smith, aims to fight online piracy of pharmaceuticals, music and other consumer products by allowing the Department of Justice to seek federal court injunctions against foreign-based websites. Chairman Smith said Internet counterfeiters cost American consumers, businesses, inventors and workers some $100 billion a year, though critics accuse him of exaggerating. Chairman Smith stressed the bill would only affect websites based outside the United States and criticized opponents for failing to cite specific sections, saying many have failed to read it and were disguising their economic interests with rhetoric about Internet freedom. "There are some companies like Google that make money by directing consumers to these illegal websites," Rep Smith said. "So I don't think they have any real credibility to complain even though they are the primary opponent." He says giving Washington sweeping powers over the Internet is necessary to protect free enterprise. Chairman Smith predicted the bill would pass the House. It was about halfway through the process of committee hearings and could go to the House floor in a matter a weeks, he said. The Senate was considering a similar measure.