United Liberty

PIPA opponents have been claiming that co-sponsors are jumping ship on the controversial legislation, and there certainly has been some senators bailing after the internet protest on Wednesday. The latest appears to be Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss, who sent out this press release earlier today:

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) released the following statement today regarding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) decision to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT I.P. Act:

“It was always clear that the PROTECT I.P. Act needed to be perfected, and that legitimate concerns needed to be addressed before this bill could move forward. Given this and my constituents concerns, it was my intention to vote against cloture of this bill. With the majority leader’s decision to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT I.P. Act, I am withdrawing my co-sponsorship to await the resolution of the outstanding issues. However, I still believe that online theft is a serious issue, and that Congress does need to make certain that our laws adequately protect the interests of rights holders. When $58 billion in economic output is lost to the U.S. economy annually due to copyright theft of movies, music, packaged software and video games, and about one-quarter of all internet traffic is copyright infringing, there is a real problem that needs to be dealt with. I have complete faith that we will be able to work out a compromise in the future that addresses this problem, while still promoting free and open access to the internet.”

Welcome news, so say the least. Yesterday, Chambliss was singing a much different tune however.

“I believe that online theft is a serious issue, and that Congress does need to make certain that the law adequately protects the interests of rights holders. Not only do we need to be concerned about intellectual property, such as movies and books, but also items such as counterfeit toothpaste or mouthwash from China that pose serious safety issues to all Americans. Because of this, I am a co-sponsor of the PROTECT IP Act. I have listened to the concerns of many Georgians and I agree that these concerns must be addressed. Congress should avoid rushing through a bill that could have many unintended consequences. However, as a co-sponsor I am in a better position legislatively to voice my concerns, and craft legislation that addresses Internet piracy while still protecting free and open access to the Internet.”

[Emphasis added by yours truly]

Better late than never I guess. Of course, as a Georgian, I would feel better if Chambliss had opposed the legislation because it sucked, versus his “go which way the wind blows” style. I can’t wait for his next campaign when I get to point out that he was for it before he was against it.