SOPA

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or H.R. 3261 is a bipartisan bill introduced at the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and co-sponsored by 31 other Representatives including John Conyers (D-Mich.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.) on June 26, 2011.The bill aims to protect the intellectual property rights of U.S. businesses particularly in the film, music and software industry against online piracy and counterfeiting.

Under the proposed bill, the Attorney General and copy right holders are authorized to ask for a court order against the owners, operators, domain name registrants of websites to stop their operations if found conducting or facilitating online piracy including copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation and trafficking of sound recordings or videos of live musical performances, the recording of exhibited motion pictures, or trafficking in counterfeit labels, goods, or services. There is also a provision in the bill which allows the restriction of payment processing by third parties and other partners of websites selling pirated products.