National Governors Association calls for piracy legislation

The National Governors Association urged lawmakers on Tuesday to pass legislation to combat online copyright infringement.

"Criminals have turned to the Internet, abusing its virtually unlimited distribution opportunities to expand their illicit activities and profits," Govs. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Jay Nixon (D-Mo.) wrote in a letter to top lawmakers in the House and Senate. "Some rogue sites dupe Internet users into thinking they are legitimate, accepting major credit cards as forms of payment and featuring advertising from blue chip U.S. companies."

The House's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate's Protect IP Act would allow the government and copyright holders to demand that Internet providers, search engines, credit card companies and ad networks cut ties to websites "dedicated" to copyright infringement. 

Hollywood and the recording industry strongly support the measures, but Web companies such as Google argue they would impose unreasonable burdens on websites and could stifle free speech online. 

The letter did not specifically mention either SOPA or the Protect IP Act.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are pushing an alternative bill that focuses only on payment processors. 

"Federal legislation can be used to stop these rogue sites and protect jobs," Brownback and Nixon wrote. "To disrupt the business model of rogue website purveyors and cut them off from the marketplace, law enforcement must be able to enlist the help of infrastructure platforms like Internet service providers and financial service payment processors. Narrowly tailored authority to disrupt these sites will help Internet users find legitimate sources for goods and content, and will ensure that counterfeiters and pirates can no longer profit from this illegal activity."

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