Sen Wyden: I’ll fight PROTECT IP at ‘every step’

Can one senator stop the speeding locomotive of the PROTECT IP Act, a controversial online copyright bill backed by Hollywood, the Chamber of Commerce, pharmaceutical makers and a bipartisan group of 40 senators? Sen. Ron Wyden hopes so.

The Oregon Democrat is threatening to filibuster the PROTECT IP Act if it reaches the Senate floor unchanged by the end of the year. “I’ve already announced a public hold, put it in the Congressional Record and — in its current form — I will fight this every step of the way,” Sen Wyden said. He hopes that a long, drawn-out battle will dampen its chances of getting floor time as the number of working days on the congressional calendar dwindles. The PROTECT IP Act is aimed at shuttering foreign websites that peddle pirated movies, knockoff Louis Vuitton handbags and fake Viagra. It’s got some major backers touting the need to protect American content and goods from online piracy. It also has some detractors — such as Internet companies that would be on the hook for enforcing parts of the law.