Tech coalition backs off SOPA support

The Business Software Alliance, which includes tech giants such as Microsoft, Intel Adobe and Apple, has pulled its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act, saying that some “valid and important questions” have been raised and that it “needs work.”

BSA president and chief executive Robert Holleyman said in a blog post Monday evening that the coalition agrees with the basic goals of the bill, but he wants the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether the legislations has “unintended consequences.” Other tech giants, such as Google and Yahoo, have already argued against the bill, putting them at odds with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. SOPA, as the bill is more commonly known, aims to halt Internet piracy by giving the government more control to shut down Web sites that host or point to unauthorized copyrighted content. The BSA originally supported the act, saying that it would “curb the growing rash of software piracy” promoted by illicit Web sites. Even then, however, the group stressed that it was important to “strike the right balance” between stopping piracy and limiting innovation.

(11/22)