ESA drops support for SOPA, PIPA

The Entertainment Software Association, the trade group behind the annual E3 trade show, sent out a statement today saying that the group has pulled its support on the highly controversial SOPA and PIPA bills. Better late than never, I suppose?

“From the beginning, ESA has been committed to the passage of balanced legislation to address the illegal theft of intellectual property found on foreign rogue sites,” the ESA said in a statement. “Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our industry’s creative investment remains, concerns have been expressed about unintended consequences stemming from the current legislative proposals.

“Accordingly, we call upon Congress, the Obama Administration, and stakeholders to refocus their energies on producing a solution that effectively balances both creative and technology interests. As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection and are committed to working with all parties to encourage a balanced solution.”

While the ESA’s decision to pull support for SOPA/PIPA is certainly great news and can be counted as yet another win in a recent string of victories against the two bills, it still comes off as too little, too late, especially considering that both bills are, for the moment, put on indefinite hold. Not only that, but the ESA just said a little over two weeks ago that it still fully backed the two bills, so this just comes off as blatant flip-flopping.

Still, I suppose a win is a win. Thanks for finally seeing the light, ESA!