Local Congressman Jumps Into Internet Piracy Debate

Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Vista) is calling for further discussion on how to protect the internet from piracy. 

Issa, who represents Lake Elsinore and Wildomar, was part of a Congressional group that visited the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. While there, he told C-SPAN that more information is needed before Congress can consider any anti-piracy bills. 

“Before the end of this Congress,” Issa said, “we need to have Members of Congress understand the scope of the problem of piracy, the history of how you stop piracy – basically ‘follow the money,’ shut down the money or the advertising trail – and then make a decision on what court structure would be the best, whether it’s the International Trade Commission, which is administrative law judges or, as SOPA suggests, federal courts, or some third entity.” 

The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) saw an estimated 7,000 websites, including Wikipedia, close down for a day of protest last week. As a result, support for the bills fell by the wayside leaving the door open for legislation co-sponsored by Issa.

The Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) is currently in the House Judiciary committee. The bill, which Issa co-authored with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), seeks to stop online piracy and counterfeiting by stopping the transfer of money to foreign websites. --Toni McAllister contributed to this report.