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Inside Hollywood's failed SOPA efforts — and a glimmer of hope

Inside Hollywood's failed SOPA efforts — and a glimmer of hope

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The Hollywood Reporter offers a fresh account of events surrounding the collapse of SOPA / PIPA legislation in Congress. Separately, an EMI executive states that he believes lawmakers chose the "wrong method" in drafting the bills.

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The Hollywood Reporter offers up fresh details about the level of panic and frustration that built up as public sentiment turned against the MPAA and other entities involved in creating the far-reaching SOPA / PIPA efforts. THR details a phone call between MPAA president Chris Dodd and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg in which the two discussed their concerns the White House would oppose SOPA. Dodd came away with the impression that nothing major was in the works, only to have the White House make its issues with the legislation public just days later.

Supporters of the anti-piracy measures are described as having felt betrayed by Obama, particularly when he represents a party traditionally warm to Hollywood's interests. They also pin questionable motives on Google, claiming the search giant was opposed to the legislation since it would cut off profit from advertising on pirate sites. At the same time, the prevailing theme continues to suggest that those who drafted the legislation were simply out of touch with the modern web, including particulars that were bound to be met with criticism. An unspecified Congressional aide blasted the MPAA for a lack of "understand the politics of the Internet, the power of the Internet, the perception people had of the things they were proposing."

That idea is reinforced when you take into account comments from record label EMI's VP of Urban Promotions Craig Davis during a Q&A with the Reddit community. For his part, Davis believes that US lawmakers went with the 'wrong method' in trying to combat online piracy, suggesting that innovative new services and easier methods of getting music to consumers (i.e. Spotify) can be sufficient tools in fighting infringement. While no doubt playing to his audience, Davis's words prove that not everyone under the RIAA umbrella is on board with its pro-SOPA stance.