SOPA and PIPA have been facing increasing opposition and obstacles. The vote on PIPA was postponed by the Senate and just now Texas representative Lamar Smith has indefinitely postponed the SOPA bill he authored. At the same time, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which took plenty of heat for supporting SOPA just sent IndustryGamers a statement, indicating their new stance on the legislation.
"From the beginning, ESA has been committed to the passage of balanced legislation to address the illegal theft of intellectual property found on foreign rogue sites. Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our industry's creative investment remains, concerns have been expressed about unintended consequences stemming from the current legislative proposals," the trade group said.
"Accordingly, we call upon Congress, the Obama Administration, and stakeholders to refocus their energies on producing a solution that effectively balances both creative and technology interests. As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection and are committed to working with all parties to encourage a balanced solution."
For his part, Smith now acknowledges that SOPA, if it's ever to see the light of day, will need major changes. "I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy," he said. "It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products."
