Maria Pallante, U.S. Register of Copyrights, to Speak on SOPA Bill

 

There 's a really big battle brewing in Washington over the SOPA bill, which is aimed at stopping rogue websites, including and even targeting foreign "rogue" websites "dedicated" to piracy. This sounds good, but a lot of very respectable critics and tech corporations say it threatens the very basis of the internet and the rule of law.

Yahoo has left the US Chamber of Commerce over this issue, and Google and Consumer Electronics Association are thinking about doing so too.

So, it's essentially American internet tech innovators v. the American legacy content industry. This could be one of the biggest copyright policy confrontations ever.

So, it's somewhat unusual that the recently appointed U.S. Register of Copyright, Maria Pallante, would take sides so clearly and so soon on something so controversial. This may signal something of a departure from the traditions of the office she holds, where previous Registers in recent times have exemplified balance and provided expertise to Congress when required.

Here's the speech she will give tomorrow and an advance article about it.

HK