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Here is that response:
Dear Mr. Plummer:
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts about online piracy. I appreciate hearing from you on this important subject.
As you may know, S.968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, was introduced in the Senate early last year. Companion legislation called the Stop Online Piracy Act was also introduced in the House. Both bills attempt to address the problem of foreign-based websites that sell pirated movies, music and other products.
While I support the goal of tackling online piracy, I have real concerns with both of these bills as they are presently written. Protecting intellectual property is vital for job creation and our economy in Washington state, but elements of this legislation could hamper innovation through increased legal burdens and costs. Additionally, I have concerns about the legislation's potential to reduce freedom of expression and unintentionally weaken our cybersecurity.
Earlier this month, millions of Americans spoke in opposition to these bills, and I heard your concerns. Now, we should continue our work to protect intellectual property and stop online piracy, while continuing to support a free and open Internet.
Again, thank you for writing to me about this important issue. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my weekly updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
And, with this, I have received a response from everyone that I contacted about this (Senator Maria Cantwell, President Barack Obama, and House Representative Jay Inslee). Again, the response is pretty clearly just a form letter and I guess it's better than no response at all, but not by very much, especially considering how late it is.
Dear Mr. Plummer:
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts about online piracy. I appreciate hearing from you on this important subject.
As you may know, S.968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, was introduced in the Senate early last year. Companion legislation called the Stop Online Piracy Act was also introduced in the House. Both bills attempt to address the problem of foreign-based websites that sell pirated movies, music and other products.
While I support the goal of tackling online piracy, I have real concerns with both of these bills as they are presently written. Protecting intellectual property is vital for job creation and our economy in Washington state, but elements of this legislation could hamper innovation through increased legal burdens and costs. Additionally, I have concerns about the legislation's potential to reduce freedom of expression and unintentionally weaken our cybersecurity.
Earlier this month, millions of Americans spoke in opposition to these bills, and I heard your concerns. Now, we should continue our work to protect intellectual property and stop online piracy, while continuing to support a free and open Internet.
Again, thank you for writing to me about this important issue. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my weekly updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
And, with this, I have received a response from everyone that I contacted about this (Senator Maria Cantwell, President Barack Obama, and House Representative Jay Inslee). Again, the response is pretty clearly just a form letter and I guess it's better than no response at all, but not by very much, especially considering how late it is.
