Reeling MPAA declares DNS filtering "off the table"

Reeling from a broad Internet backlash, the Motion Picture Association of America has conceded that DNS filtering will not be included in the anti-piracy bills now making their way through Congress.

"DNS filtering is really off the table," said Paul Brigner, the MPAA's tech policy chief, on Jan 17. His remarks came during a debate on SOPA at the State of the Net conference in Washington DC. The event was sponsored by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee. "The future of our industry relies on the Internet," Brigner said, noting that movie studios were increasingly selling their products to consumers via the Internet. Brigner's comments were echoed by Steve Tepp of the US Chamber of Congress, another major SOPA supporter. He said the DNS provisions of SOPA and PIPA have "essentially been taken off the table," as the sponsors of both bills -- Rep Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), respectively -- have pledged to remove those provisions from the bill. But Tepp and Brigner pledged to press on with the remaining provisions of the legislation. "We need to move forward as soon as possible," Tepp said. And while the MPAA appears to be abandoning the DNS-filtering provisions for this Congress, Brigner hinted that his organization may resurrect the proposal in the future.