SOPA/PIPA Stall, ESA Finally Drops Support

With SOPA and PIPA stalling and losing support, the ESA finally has the “courage” to speak out against SOPA. Kotaku is reporting that the Electronic Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has released a statement dropping its support for SOPA. In the statement they stated that there needs to be more regulation to protect against piracy, but the current legislation contained “unintended consequences.”

While they no longer support SOPA, the report doesn’t say whether or not they continue to support PIPA. It wouldn’t make too much sense to oppose SOPA and support PIPA, but they did pay lobbyist to gain support for that legislation so I wouldn’t put I past them.

Even though this isn’t a bold move since both bills have been shelved for the time being, it is good to see the ESA publically denounce the bill. They came under fire from many gamers after it was reported that the ESA was backing SOPA while many gamers, companies and journalist within the gaming industry were opposed to the bill. After calls for boycotting E3 came up this Wednesday during the SOPA Protest Day, it was clear that the ESA was losing all the support they gained last year when the California Video Game Law was going through the Supreme Court.

This however doesn’t mean the fight is over. The ESA still wants to find a way to limit piracy within the gaming industry so we have to make sure that the ESA starts to look out for the industry rather than just its members. Here is a part of their statement:

“From the beginning, ESA has been committed to the passage of balanced legislation to address the illegal theft of intellectual property found on foreign rogue sites. Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our industry’s creative investment remains, concerns have been expressed about unintended consequences stemming from the current legislative proposals. Accordingly, we call upon Congress, the Obama Administration, and stakeholders to refocus their energies on producing a solution that effectively balances both creative and technology interests. As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection and are committed to working with all parties to encourage a balanced solution.”

[Source: Kotaku]