Google May Break Ties With US Chamber Of Commerce Over SOPA

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Sources close to Google claim that the search giant is mulling the possibility of breaking ties with the US Chamber of Commerce. The issues stem from the Chamber’s strong support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and Google’s staunch opposition to it. SOPA and the E-PARASITE provisions from the US House would essentially saddle Google and other tech firms online with the task of policing web sites for copyright-infringing behavior.

The Chamber of Commerce is consistently seen as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, but Google, and even the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) itself are getting uncomfortable with the political direction of the Chamber. If Google and the CEA pulled out, the Chamber wouldn’t just lose the dues paid to it, but the prestige of being tied into technology’s biggest players.

Yahoo left the Chamber recently, and insiders say it was due to the same issue Google is now facing. Many tech firms have come out strongly against SOPA, but the Chamber supports it as a way to protect intellectual property. The fact that it would more or less break the internet seems of little concern.



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