Curb Web piracy but respect rights of expression

Internet evangelists are often too cavalier about the importance of protecting intellectual property, which is all too easily pirated and distributed digitally.

But two bills in Congress that aim to crack down on foreign Internet piracy have generated a firestorm of opposition. Wikipedia is one of several sites that announced plans to go dark today in protest.

There is good reason for the opposition: The measures -- the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and its companion Senate bill, the Protect Intellectual Property Act -- simply go too far, potentially imposing a heavy burden on Internet companies to ferret out any possible copyright violation or face draconian consequences. Copyright holders would be empowered to make payment processors, such as credit card companies, cut off a foreign site practically on demand, while outfits like Facebook would have to monitor and censor users more heavily.

Protecting American cultural output is a worthy aim. U.S. movies, books and other such products are in demand the world over, and piracy siphons money from creators and investors. If those who create intellectual property can't get paid for it, they'll be less likely to produce it. Yet it's doubtful the proposed measures would work; overseas sites are hard to police, and the Internet makes it relatively easy to circumvent restrictions.

The Obama administration has said it won't support the bills as written. A more balanced approach is needed to combat piracy while protecting free access to information.