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    SOPA and PIPA prompt Reddit, Mozilla, and 73 others to ask Congress to halt work on intellectual property laws

    SOPA and PIPA prompt Reddit, Mozilla, and 73 others to ask Congress to halt work on intellectual property laws

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    A coalition of 75 groups including Reddit, Mozilla, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, Open Congress, and Human Rights Watch, have sent an open letter to Congress, asking it to put the brakes on intellectual property lawmaking in the wake of the massive backlash against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect-IP Act (PIPA).

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    Bill signing (Public Domain)
    Bill signing (Public Domain)

    A coalition of 75 groups including Reddit, Mozilla, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, Open Congress, and Human Rights Watch, have sent an open letter to Congress asking it to put the brakes on intellectual property lawmaking in the wake of the massive backlash against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect-IP Act (PIPA). While the letter may not have any tangible impact on the behavior of Congress, it highlights growing concern from opponents of SOPA and PIPA that the current moratorium is merely a delay tactic, and that legislators still have an interest in implementing similar measures. The letter says that "now is the time for Congress to take a breath, step back, and approach the issues from a fresh perspective," and that Congress should take into account the wide variety of concerns that have been expressed by a diversity of groups over IP law and the internet.

    The letter accuses Congress of "focusing exclusively on areas where some rights holders believe the law is too weak" — more specifically, it's accused of privileging the concerns of select groups, like the MPAA and RIAA, that have worked diligently to peddle laws like SOPA and PIPA in Congress. While SOPA and PIPA haven't moved forward in recent weeks, it's evident that the war over the internet is much broader than these two bills.