SOPA Far from Dead, Markup to Resume in February

SOPA, the controversial anti-piracy bill currently under consideration by the US Congress, isn't going anywhere just yet. A statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith confirmed that, in spite of recent delays, the Comittee intends resume markup on the bill sometime in February.

"Due to the Republican and Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February,"  the statement from Chairman Smith reads.

“I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to send a bipartisan bill to the White House that saves American jobs and protects intellectual property."

This statment comes just one day before several prominent Internet communites plan to "blackout" their content in protest of the bill. Tomorrow, Wikipedia, Reddit, and other high profile sites will feature a black background and a simple message of protest, encouraging users to inform themselves about SOPA and its potential harms.

Earlier today, CNet reported that search giant Google will post a statement of opposition on their homepage tomorrow, though they will not be removing any of the site's functionality.

On Saturday, the Obama White House issued a statement explaining that the Administration would not support the legislation in its current state, as "any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small."

Wondering how SOPA could affect gaming? Our own Ian Miles Cheong has written up a fantastic explanation here.