SOPA is now officially dead

You don’t mess with the Internet. After receiving heavy opposition from the likes of Google, Microsoft, Wikipedia, Reddit, and so on, and not forget the failing support from allies, Lamar Smith, the perpetrator of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has finally bit the bullet and has pulled the bill.

Pretty much.

In a statement, Smith said that he hopes to revisit the issue once there is a “wider agreement on a solution” because “the problem of online piracy is too big to ignore.”

“We need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products. “The problem of online piracy is too big to ignore. American intellectual property industries provide 19 million high-paying jobs and account for more than 60% of U.S. exports. The theft of America’s intellectual property costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion annually and results in the loss of thousands of American jobs. Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while American innovators and job creators are under attack.”

“The online theft of American intellectual property is no different than the theft of products from a store. It is illegal and the law should be enforced both in the store and online.

“The Committee will continue work with copyright owners, Internet companies, financial institutions to develop proposals that combat online piracy and protect America’s intellectual property. We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who have an honest difference of opinion about how best to address this widespread problem. The Committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”