Tumblr’s David Karp and the US Copyright Office Director on the Stop Online Piracy Act

Tumblr CEO David Karp and Maria Pallante, United States Copyright Office director, join The Takeaway for two very distinct views on the Stop Online Piracy Act.  The bill’s stated purpose is to shut down websites that host or post pirated material and counterfeit goods.  Hearings on bill began earlier this week in the House. Another version of the bill, called the PROTECT IP Act, already passed in the Senate. David Karp, the CEO of Tumblr. Tumblr, Firefox and Reddit drew broad black lines on their websites Wednesday to protest the bill. Tumblr has encouraged users to call Congress to urge them to stop the bill.
Maria Pallante, director of the United States Copyright Office, said in her testimony in support of SOPA before Congress on Wednesday, “It is my view that if Congress does not continue to provide serious responses to online piracy, the U.S. copyright system will ultimately fail.”