Texan’s Anti-Piracy Bill Gets Home State Pushback

United States Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) says online piracy is damaging the United States economy and putting American lives at risk. Foreign Web sites that distribute American-made entertainment and counterfeit products, like fake pharmaceuticals, are “stealing our profits, they’re stealing our jobs and they may be endangering the health of Americans,” said Rep Smith, from San Antonio. He introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act in October to tackle the problem, but the bill has received a cold reception in Mr. Smith’s home state. Technology companies and business advocates in Texas agree that cyber crimes are a problem, but they contend that Smith’s bill would cause greater economic damage, particularly to Texas’ growing technology sector. And they say that online pirates could find ways to evade the law. Rackspace, Facebook and eBay, which have received economic incentives from the state to create jobs in Texas, are among the companies opposing the bill.