[U.S.] Backlash Against IP Bill Requiring ISPs to Block Pirate Sites

Tech groups and other Internet stakeholders this week expressed concern with a pending copyright bill that would allow the U.S. government to seize domains with infringing content and require ISPs to cut off connections with the offending sites.

The bill, introduced last week by Sen. Patrick Leahy, is "unprecedented in the U.S.," Leslie Harris, president and chief executive of the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), said in a Tuesday call with reporters. It tackles a topic that "requires enormous caution and a very deliberative process."

Specifically, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) would allow the Department of Justice to obtain an injunction and seize the domain name of a site found to offer pirated goods – like music streams or movie downloads. It would go one step further, however, and require U.S. ISPs to cut off contact with these domains.