PIPA is the Rick Perry of legislation. Got a lot of hype early on and ran up large numbers of supporters. But as the debates rolled along the opposition came together and found plenty of flaws until ultimately the candidate/bill had no real chance of getting enough votes. Today, PIPA effectively dropped out of the race as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev,) announced that the planned Senate vote on Tuesday of next week would not go forward. Reid, a supporter of the bill, left the door open for further legislation, saying, “There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved. Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year, with the movie industry alone supporting over 2.2 million jobs. We must take action to stop these illegal practices.”
It would be pretty surprising at this point if even a revised PIPA stuck around given the events of the week with the protests and so many lawmakers lining up against it. It would be about as surprising as Perry jumping back into the race. And frankly, any similar bill might lead opponents to yell, “It’s another PIPA!” and rally more opposition. Can’t imagine it’s a good sign for SOPA either.
Soon after that announcement, SOPA was also postponed in the House. A statement from the House Judiciary Committee said, in part, “The House Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution.”
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