Wikipedia shutdown to protest piracy bills

"The legislative battle over two Internet piracy bills has reached an extraordinary moment — a political coming of age for a relatively young and disorganised industry that has largely steered clear of lobbying and other political games in Washington."

"The controversial bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, are backed by major media companies and are mostly intended to curtail the illegal downloading and streaming of TV shows and movies online. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Wikipedia shutdown to protest piracy bills: But the tech industry fears that, among other things, they will give media companies too much power to shut down sites that they say are abusing copyrights."

Proponents emphasise that their primary targets are foreign websites that sell counterfeit goods, that are now largely out of reach of U.S. law enforcement. And they are fighting against what they characterise as gimmicks and distortions by Internet companies opposed to the Bills.

"This is the first real test of the political strength of the Web, and regardless of how things go, they are no longer a pushover". The Silicon valley industry says that the problem could be solved by letting it do what it does best, innovate.