Buddy Roemer on SOPA

From the inbox, a note from Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer:

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which Congress is likely to consider early next year, is just one more example of legislation that is so influenced by corporate money that it has no chance of adequately solving the underlying problems – this time, protecting intellectual property rights. To put it into perspective, the communications and electronics industries contributed nearly $90 million to campaigns in the 2010 election cycle and spent over $290 million in lobbying this year hoping to sway this and other legislation in their favor.
 

The current bill pits the music and recording industries against web and social media sites, when an adequate solution cannot result from a war of influence where the one industry’s interests are ultimately placed ahead of another’s. We have to encourage the development of intellectual property, but this bill reaches far beyond its stated intent and into the realm of censorship. This country has always been a beacon of freedom – freedom of thought, freedom of information, freedom of communication. How can we advocate for greater liberties in China and around the world while restricting our own?

The best solution to this problem is a private one in which the industries cooperate to make legal content easily accessible and enjoyable for consumers to purchase. Apple has been a pioneer in this field, and should be a model for others to follow. We must abandon SOPA and find a solution that makes sense.