Copyright Chief: Online Piracy Threatens Whole System

The director of the U.S. Copyright Office says that unless Congress continues to take serious steps to combat online piracy -- like the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) -- the nation's copyright system cannot be sustained.

"I would like to be very clear at the outset," Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante said in testimony prepared for the House Judiciary Committee's Nov. 16 hearing on SOPA. "It is my view that if Congress does not continue to provide serious responses to online piracy, the U.S. copyright system will ultimately fail." That panel's chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), sponsored the bill, which would give industry and government more tools to pursue and potentially shut down websites believed to be trading in pirated content, including TV shows and movies. "Congress has repeatedly acted to improve enforcement provisions in copyright law over the years, including in the online environment," Pallante's testimony said. "SOPA is the next step in ensuring that our law keeps pace with infringers." She said the bill enlists all stakeholders in the crucial task of protecting intellectual property.