EDUCAUSE Submits Proposed Targeted Fixes to SOPA

Over the past few weeks, EDUCAUSE, together with members of the EDUCAUSE Government Relations for Information Technology (GRIT), has met with the staff leadership of the House Judiciary Committee to express concerns about the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA), H.R. 3261 (See blog posts of October 28^th and November 15^th for background information).  Based on these discussions, the group has submitted proposed legislative language to the Committee that provides suggestions for how SOPA might be modified to address our issues.

This "Proposed SOPA Fixes" document follows on the earlier EDUCAUSE document that identified four key areas of concern in SOPA for our campus communities:

1. The definitions in the bill create broad and unpredictable liabilities.
2. The DNS and search filtering provisions undermine cybersecurity and will not work.
3. Provisions in the bill place the status of the DMCA safe harbors in doubt.
4. The streaming provision could impose criminal liability on good faith, non-profit institutions and actors.

These proposed targeted fixes are designed to alleviate each of those concerns.  EDUCAUSE worked closely with GRIT members from the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of American Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities to develop the proposed language.

EDUCAUSE will continue to monitor and report on this legislation.