[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       NOTICE OF INTENT TO OBJECT

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, consistent with Senate Standing Orders and 
my policy of publishing in the Record a statement whenever I place a 
hold on legislation, I am announcing my intention to object to any 
unanimous consent request to proceed to S. 3804, the Combating Online 
Infringement and Counterfeits Act, COICA.
  Promoting American innovation, and securing its protection, is vital 
to creating new, good-paying jobs. But it is important that the 
government reach an appropriate balance between protecting intellectual 
property and promoting innovation on the one hand and the freedom to 
innovate, share expression, and promote ideas over the Internet. I am 
concerned that the current version of COICA has this balance wrong; it 
attempts to protect intellectual property in the digital arena in a way 
that could trample free speech and stifle competition and important new 
innovations in the digital economy.
  Of perhaps greater concern, the sweeping new powers offered to the 
U.S. Department of Justice under COICA are granted without giving due 
consideration to the consequences. COICA may not only be ineffective at 
combating copyright infringement and the distribution of counterfeit 
goods, it gives license to foreign regimes to further censor and filter 
online content to serve protectionist commercial motives and repressive 
political aims. Until these issues are thoroughly considered and 
properly addressed, I will object to a unanimous consent request to 
proceed to the legislation.

                          ____________________