Piracy Act no easy sell in House

Moving the Stop Online Piracy Act through the House won’t be a slam-dunk for Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX). In fact, some members are already attempting to block his shot.

Not only does Smith’s bill face fierce opposition from Google, Facebook and other Web stalwarts in Silicon Valley, but influential members from his own party say they fear the legislation would cause substantial damage to the Internet as we know it. One Judiciary Committee member, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), even plans to introduce a competing bill in the coming days. While some lawmakers don’t rule out the prospect of a compromise, they say the bill won’t get far if Chairman Smith tries to push it forward without incorporating some changes proposed by the tech industry.