SOPA Protest Blacks Out Major Websites

In dissent to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill with versions in the House and Senate designed to stop web-based copyright infringement, many popular websites are going black today.

SOPA and its Senate partner, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), would give the government new power to "protect American intellectual property from counterfeiting and piracy," according to the House judiciary committee.

Some of the sites either fully or partially participating in the Blackout are Google, Wikipedia, reddit and Twitpic. Over 7,000 websites are participating in some manner, Huffington Post reported.

SOPA has supporters from both parties, but its main backing comes from major record labels, trial lawyers and pharmaceutical giants, who "call SOPA a robust effort to curb piracy of American goods online," according to Huffington Post.

Many politicians and major companies have publically expressed their opposition to the bill, including the Obama administration and many Congressional representatives who have said they will vote no or plan to filibuster when it comes to that time, Huffington Post reported.

That time is Jan. 24 for the Senate. Many websites in protest offer access to an online petition that a Google graphic says is already 3 million strong. 

Read the full SOPA Act here.

Read the full PIPA Act here.