Internet Piracy and the Constitution

Over the past decade, disputes about intellectual property and piracy on the internet have become steadily more prominent. In October 2011, the House Judiciary Committee introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). With its bipartisan sponsors, the bill proposed anti-piracy measures allowing the U.S. Department of Justice and intellectual property owners to exercise control over websites facilitating copyright infringement. In the Senate, the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) introduced additional methods for the government and copyright holders to protect against counterfeit goods domestically and abroad. Given protests and an unprecedented internet blackout, voting on the bills was suspended. However, a third bill intended to protect against cyber threats, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), passed in the House of Representatives in April 2012.
The Constitution Day 2012 forum will examine constitutional questions raised by internet piracy, proposed legislation to regulate the internet, copyright law, and other issues related to intellectual property. It will include perspectives from the speakers, questions from a CWRU student panel, and audience participation.