Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property, or Protect IP, Act of 2011 (S. 968).
I understand the Act, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, is aimed at denying access to "pirate" or "rogue" websites, especially those registered outside the U.S., and are "dedicated to infringing activities."
A similar bill was put on hold in the last Congress because of concerns that the bill was not specific about what constitutes an infringing website. If a website was accused of distributing copyrighted material, U.S. search engines would be served a court order to block search results pointing to that website. Opponents of the bill have brought up free-speech concerns as well as the fact that a ban can be issued without letting the accused infringing site know about it. Such a ban would cancel out the presumption of innocence that our legal system protects.
This bill has been placed in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and hearings have been held to discuss it. If you would like to view these hearings, they can be found at: http://judiciary.senate.gov. Should this legislation reach the full Senate floor for a vote, I will certainly keep your views in mind.
I believe one of my most important duties as your Senator is to listen to the views of the citizens of Wisconsin and, in turn, communicate my views. I hope I have accomplished that with you.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns with me on this issue. I apologize for any delay you have experienced in receiving this reply. Since I took office in January, I've received more than 180,000 pieces of correspondence. My staff and I are working hard to respond in a timely way.
Please feel free to contact me in the future with anything important to you or your family. It is an honor to serve you and the good people of Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
United States Senator
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