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Combating online Infringement and Counterfeits Act riles rights groups
  
Online rights groups prepare for battle
      22 Sep 2010 15:15 | by     Andrea Petrou | posted in Internet

According  to the EFF, the new bill would break the internet one domain at a time  by requiring domain registrars/registries, ISPs, DNS providers, and  others to block internet users from reaching certain websites that are  hosted in the US. The bill would also create two internet blacklists.  The first is a list of all the websites hit with a censorship court  order from the Attorney General. The second is a blacklist of domain  names that the Department of Justice determines — without judicial review — are "dedicated to infringing activities."

The  bill only requires blocking for domains in the first list, but strongly  suggests that domains on the second list should be blocked as well by  providing legal immunity for Internet intermediaries and DNS operators  who decide to block domains on the second blacklist as well.

Visitors to blocked sites will see a 404 error message.

If  the site is hosted outside the US, the Justice Department would  approach the registries controlling the top level dot.com, dot.net and  dot.org domains, which are all US based.

"Where the registry or  registrar is not located in the United States, the Act would provide the  Attorney General the authority to serve the order on other specified  third parties at its discretion, including ISPs, payment processors, and  online ad network providers," Leahy said.
"These third parties... are critical to the financial viability of the infringing website's business."

Full Story at :  http://www.techeye.n...s-rights-groups