The SOPA bill is intended, according to its sponsors and supporters, to fight piracy of online content. Among other things, the bill would enable the Attorney General to seek injunctions against foreign websites that publish copyrighted US content. The bill increases criminal penalties for individuals who traffic in counterfeit medicine and military goods and improves coordination between intellectual property enforcement agencies.
However, critics, including many web-based businesses, argue that the bill and a similar bill in the Senate called the Protect IP Act (PIPA) would expose online companies to uncertain liability for content judged to violate intellectual property law.
Anonymous has come down squarely on the side of the critics. The group posted a video last week on Twitter saying it would attack Sony’s network because of its support for SOPA.
“Your support of the act is a signed death warrant to Sony Company and associates. Therefore, yet again, we have decided to destroy your network. We will dismantle your phantom from the Internet. Prepare to be extinguished. Justice will be swift, and it will be for the people, whether some like it or not”, according a transcript of the video made by Videogamer.com.
In mid-December, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to pass the bill, but the opposition was so heated that the chairman recessed the hearing – supposedly for the weekend – but nothing has happened with the bill since then.