Chairman Issa unveils hashtag for online piracy effort

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) rolled out a new Twitter hashtag intended to build support for the online piracy bill he plans to unveil.

A bipartisan coalition led by Chairman Issa and Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) will offer an alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that would rely on the International Trade Commission to issue orders against foreign websites dedicated to copyright violations or trafficking in counterfeit goods. "What's better than #SOPA? #OPEN...we'll use this hashtag for our plan to keep the Internet open, protect our artists & inventors," tweeted Chairman Issa.

Chairman Issa said, "Good bills, with good support that leave the House passed, do pretty well. Bad bills that don't leave the House never get a chance to be heard in the Senate. I don't think SOPA will leave the House. I don't think it could pass a House vote today."