Motion Picture Association of America CEO and former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said the heated debate over online piracy legislation in Congress is proof the tech industry recognizes the gravity of the nation’s online piracy problem.
“No one is arguing about whether we ought to deal with these rogue criminal foreign sites that steal American jobs and products,” Dodd said. “We all understand something needs to be done. We’re now arguing about how best to do this. And that’s a major breakthrough.”
The battle over the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and its companion PROTECT IP in the Senate has seen the tech industry square off with the content community, which strongly supports both bills. Tech companies argue the bills would result in censorship and restrict innovation.
Dodd told Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang he believes the future of Internet commerce will be guided by mutual growth by both sectors.
“This ought not to be a situation where you have to choose between technology and content,” Dodd said. “Content needs technology, and technology needs content — and these two communities absolutely need each other for the future.”
