When Internet activists went on strike in January to defeat the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), they successfully stymied the legislation.
Six months later, SOPA and PIPA advocates, such as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), are expected to discuss their next step Tuesday.
Technology and media leaders are convening at the Sun Valley Conference, a week-long event at a resort in central Idaho.
It’s a sweeping conference that addresses a variety of topics. Still, it’s the first time leaders from much of the lobbying coalition that pushed SOPA and PIPA have gathered in one place.
With few exceptions, reporters are barred from the conference. However, a number of major companies that lobbied for SOPA and PIPA are expected to send leaders, including Time Warner and Disney. Newspaper mogul Rupert Murdoch, whose company News Corp lobbied for both SOPA and PIPA, is also expected to attend, as are members of the MPAA and RIAA.
RIAA CEO Cary Sherman hinted that lobbyists wouldn’t try another sweeping law. “The legislative route is no longer appealing or practical,” he told the New York Times.
Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google, is also expected to attend. Google was one of the anti-SOPA strike’s biggest players, claiming to gather 7 million petition signatures against the bill.
Sherman has previously claimed that Google made discussing copyright enforcement methods difficult.
“How do you do business with somebody who is attempting to undermine your very existence?” he asked in January.
Of the coalition of anti-SOPA companies, Sherman said, “[T]he grassroots they can generate is, frankly, concerning.”
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