Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) (2011)

Ley para Detener la Piratería en Internet, also known as Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), was a proposed United States federal law introduced in 2011. The legislation aimed to combat online copyright infringement and protect intellectual property rights by targeting websites and services that allegedly engage in or facilitate piracy. SOPA was designed to give the U.S. Department of Justice and copyright holders the ability to seek court orders against websites and services that engage in or facilitate copyright infringement. The proposed law sparked widespread controversy and criticism from the online community, civil liberties groups, and technology companies, who argued that it would lead to censorship, stifling innovation, and undermine the fundamental principles of the internet. Opponents claimed that SOPA would give the government and copyright holders too much power to control what people can access online, and that it would disproportionately affect small businesses and startups. The bill ultimately failed to pass in the U.S. Congress, and its controversial provisions were eventually replaced by the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA).