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PIPA on hold in light of 'legitimate issues raised by many,' says Senate majority leader Harry Reid [update]
It seems that the unending stream of protest from the internet, as well as from the meatspace, have helped to slow -- and potentially stop -- one of the broad reaching anti-piracy acts being proposed for legislation in the US Congress. An upcoming Senate vote on the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) has been postponed by Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV).In a press release issued by Reid's office this morning, he cites "legitimate issues" brought up by protesters keeping the bill from being voted on, and calls on PIPA author and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy to "continue engaging with all stakeholders to forge a balance between protecting Americans' intellectual property, and maintaining openness and innovation on the internet."Reid remains "optimistic" that the Senate will work out any issues with the bill "in the coming weeks," but given the bill's sister act in the house (SOPA) also getting a big delay, we're not similarly optimistic about PIPA's reintroduction. Additionally, Reuters reports that a "senior Democratic aide" speaking on condition of anonymity claimed the act was unable to garner support among the Senate, thus abetting in this delay.Update: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) issued a statement in response to the PIPA announcement, specifically addressing his SOPA bill in the House. "It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products." His complete statement can be found here. [ER 09 via Shutterstock]
PIPA and SOPA votes pushed back in the face of overwhelming opposition
In the face of overwhelming opposition from just about every major technology company and the general public, the US Senate and House have decided to delay votes on the anti-piracy bills known as PIPA (Senate) and SOPA (House). Majority leader Harry Reid and Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith both announced that upcoming work on the acts would be delayed, "until there is wider agreement on a solution." While both have said that concerns over piracy must be addressed, it seems unlikely that they or any other politician will be rushing to revive the would-be laws after very public protests from Google and Wikipedia and the reported deluge of phone calls and emails that hammered offices at the capital Wednesday. The fight over intellectual property rights and fair use is far from over but, as the sibling bills face yet another delay, it's beginning to appear as if SOPA and PIPA's days are numbered
Apple to drop DUI checkpoint apps like a bad habit
In a move that's bound to get at least a few MADD moms smiling, Apple's officially decided to block apps that encourage drunk driving. Section 22.8 of the newly revised App Store Review Guidelines reads: Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected. That revision comes on the heels of a request from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, asking that Google, Apple, and RIM yank offending apps from their respective mobile outlets. At the time, Google declined while RIM was quick to jump on the bandwagon, leaving Apple to stew. For now, it looks like the rest of us still have to keep our eyes out for Android users with a propensity for boozing and skirting the fuzz.
Senator Harry Reid calls for DUI checkpoint app removal: RIM's game, Google isn't, Apple's undecided
There's a lot of folks out there drinking and driving, and Congress sees DUI checkpoint location apps as enablers of all that cruising and boozing. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats have decided to use their powers of political persuasion to address the issue and ask Google, Apple, and RIM to pull such apps from their respective stores. The letter didn't name names, but Reid and co. want offending software yanked or "altered to remove the DUI checkpoint functionality" to prevent checkpoint circumvention. Of course, the creators of one such app, PhantomAlert, claim it provides such information to deter drunk driving by letting users know the risk of getting caught (yeah, right). RIM agreed to comply with the congressional request while Google said no thanks, but mum's the word out of Cupertino -- time will tell if Apple gets on the banning bandwagon too.
