Chairman Smith fires back at SOPA critics

In a blistering statement, House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) accused a cast of star tech execs criticizing his Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) of not understanding the bill — and he singled out Google’s opposition to the measure as “self-serving.”

“Companies like Google have made billions by working with and promoting foreign rogue websites so they have a vested interest in preventing Congress from stopping rogue websites,” Chairman Smith said. “Lawful companies and websites like Google, Twitter, Yahoo and Facebook have nothing to worry about this bill,” he added. Tech executives wrote that the bills would “undermine security online by changing the basic structure of the Internet.” Nonsense, responded Chairman Smith. The manager’s amendment that he unveiled this week, Chairman Smith said, addresses the major criticisms of SOPA. The revision “narrows the scope of the bill to ensure that it only applies to foreign rogue websites,” Chairman Smith said. The changes also clarify the definition of rogue sites “as foreign websites primarily dedicated to the sale and distribution of illegal or infringing material or foreign websites that market themselves as websites primarily dedicated to illegal or infringing activity,” he said. Chairman Smith said critics have ignored his attempts to address their issues. He charged that they are “spreading lies about the legislation in an attempt to stall efforts by Congress to combat foreign rogue websites.”