WIRED reports on the letter to Congress

Here is an article in WIRED on the coalition requesting that Congress rethink the revised Induce Act:

Over 40 technology companies and consumer rights advocates sent a letter to Sens. Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy on Friday urging them to hold public hearings on the Induce Act, in hopes that Congress won't act hastily in passing a law that would have huge effects on the tech industries.
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The groups believe the copyright recommendations would "create an unprecedented new form of liability of uncertain, but potentially unlimited, reach." They argue that the committee must hold more hearings to consider all proposals...
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"Before any approach becomes law, it should, at minimum, be subjected to careful scrutiny in a public hearing at which novel elements in these approaches can be compared, and discussed to their full implications," the letter reads. "The process thus far has been constructive, but has not resulted in either the consensus of the confidence in a legislative framework that ought to underlie a major and consequential revision to the Copyright Act."

The letter is signed by Intel, Google, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo, EarthLink, Verizon, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE-USA) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others.

We all had plenty of time to think about the wording of the first version of IICA. There's no reason to rush this revision through Congress without giving it and alternative versions more consideration. Only the RIAA, MPAA, and the Copyright Office seem to be in such a rush. Hopefully Congress will not be rash. The new revision of the Induce Act is really not much better than the original.

One wants to believe that Congress would not act on something so important and potentially threatening to the US tech industry without some investigation of the bill, getting the facts, and hearing expert opinions.

There's no hurry Orrin, the RIAA will still be pushing for the bill next month as well. Let's take the time to get this one right.