Kingdom relieved after US internet law fails to pass
The postponement of two US internet piracy bills last week was met with relief by human rights and media experts in Cambodia, who say the overreaching grasp of the proposed legislation would hinder the internet’s progress and growth in the Kingdom. The US House of Representative’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate’s PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) had aimed to require that internet providers block access to websites accused of piracy and would criminalise the unlawful streaming of copyrighted material by domestic or foreign websites. Mike Gaertner, chief operating officer of Phnom Penh-based CIDC Information Technology, said the proposed measures would hurt only the US market in the long-run. “Cambodians are interested in American music and culture, but are not entirely familiar with it yet. They are not going to suddenly be willing or able to pay American prices for it, especially given the differences in the exchange rate and current state of the Cambodian economy,” he said…
