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Former senator and MPAA CEO Chris Dodd speaks out against SOPA blackouts

Former senator and MPAA CEO Chris Dodd speaks out against SOPA blackouts

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The MPAA has taken notice of the many websites blacking out their content today in protest of SOPA, and thinks these companies would be better off supporting efforts to combat piracy rather than protesting.

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The MPAA has taken notice of the many websites blacking out their content today in protest of SOPA, and thinks these companies would be better off supporting efforts to combat piracy rather than protesting. Chris Dodd, former senator and current MPAA CEO, starts his statement under the guise of concern, saying sites participating in blackout day (such as Reddit and Wikipedia) are "irresponsible" and "resorting to stunts that punish their users." He goes on to say that these blackouts are a "dangerous and troubling development" and an "abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace."

Closing with a bit of "you're with us or against us" rhetoric, Dodd says that this blackout is designed to "punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to project American jobs from foreign criminals." Apparently, Dodd wants support in combating piracy from these sites, not protests — if that's the case, he's fishing for that support in an awfully strange way.