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Roy Blunt, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch, John Boozman and Marco Rubio said they were withdrawing their support for the controversial anti-piracy bill, with some blaming their decision on the fact that the Senate version (Protect IP Act or PIPA) had been rushed.

 

Reddit, Wikipedia and a number of other websites blocked access to their websites yesterday to show what could happen if SOPA is approved. Google censored its logo and directed users to a protest page, while Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg asked users to protest against the Act.

 

 

Most of the websites and companies in question called on people to contact local legislators and voice their opposition to the bill. This increasing pressure is most likely the reason why previous supporters of SOPA have jumped ship today.

 

The battle is far from over, however. SOPA advocates like Creative America and News Corp. are stepping up efforts to win additional support for the Act via television and billboard campaigns. News Corp.'s chairman and CEO, Rupert Murdoch, called Google the “piracy leader”, while SOPA's creator, Lamar Smith, said he will fight on.

 

The White House has indicated that Obama might veto the bill if it gets approval in the Senate and House of Representatives, but opponents of the Act, who claim it will lead to widespread internet censorship, hope it won't come to that. Continued protests and pressure on Congress officials will likely result in more opposition to the ill-fated Act.

 

Source: Reuters