Billions of dollars are lost each year to online piracy, which stifles the ability of writers, songwriters and others in the creative arts to earn the royalties they are due and drains profits from legitimate manufacturers. Consumers often find themselves saddled with shoddy products and no prospect of obtaining a refund.

A broad consortium of copyright and trademark holders — corporate behemoths and small enterprises alike — is pushing for legislation to help combat rogue Web sites. Many of them, based off shore and out of reach of U.S. law enforcement, leech off of the rightful owners’ goods and talents. This group is getting considerable pushback from the likes of Google and open-Internet advocates. The opponents fear that tinkering with the infrastructure of the Internet to crack down on scofflaws could do irreparable damage to the Internet’s freedom and independence.

To read this editorial in the Washington Post in full, see:
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-fair-block-on-internet-piracy/2011/12/16/gIQAIkn3WP_story.html