More anti-SOPA protests outside the US Democratic Senate in New York. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
IT has been dubbed the "Hollywood v Silicon Valley battle royale" - pitting media companies against tech giants like Google, eBay and Facebook.
But what exactly is the SOPA anti-piracy legislation and why are some of the internet?s most popular websites against it?
In the red corner: SOPA and PIPA
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and sister piece of legislation the Protect IP [Intellectual Property] Act (PIPA) is being considered in the US to stop foreign-based websites selling pirated movies, music and other products.
The Motion Picture Association of America is the main backer, claiming online piracy has cost media companies billions of dollars.
In the blue corner: Google, Wikipedia, Facebook et al
Websites like Facebook and Twitter fear the legislation is too broad and could allow content owners to target US websites that aren't knowingly hosting pirated content.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said it could ?fatally damage the free and open internet?, and fears the legislation would encourage authoritarian countries to block content they don't like.
They also fear media companies could get a court order blocking payments to innocent sites.
The US Google search page lends support to the anti-SOPA campaign. Picture: AFP
Source: No Source
How will the laws be enforced?
SOPA and PIPA would allow content owners to take private legal action against websites that are alleged to be hosting pirated material.
The Justice Department prosecutors could seek a court order requiring US internet providers to block access to foreign websites with pirated material. Google may also asked to disable links to the offending sites.
Advertising networks could be forced to stop placing ads on the pirated websites or stop credit card payments.
Protester Nadine Wolf demonstrates against SOPA outside the US Senate in New York. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
So what now?
SOPA is awaiting consideration by the US House Judiciary Committee, which tried unsuccessfully to complete its review of the bill in December after amendments were filed.
The amendments must be completed before the committee can decide whether to pass the legislation to the full House for a vote. The hearing has been rescheduled for February.
The PIPA legislation unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in May but a procedural vote is still scheduled in the Senate for January 24.
If the bill is passed, President Barack Obama would be left with the ultimate decision to sign or to veto. However, he has said he will not support either ?as is?.
Click here to see the full list of websites taking part in the action
Click here to read the proposed legislation in full
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