Arlington, VA – 01/12/2012 – Arlington, Va., January 12, 2011 – In response to today’s comments by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today regarding dropping the domain name provisions in his PROTECT IP Act, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® has issued the following statement:

“We are pleased that Senator Leahy's recognizes one of the issues raised by CEA and others regarding the PROTECT IP Act: The Act’s domain name system (DNS) provisions are a significant concern, as are the imposition of liability on search engines, the inclusion of a private right of action, and the broad definitions of what constitutes an infringing site.

“If the bill is to be rewritten, we urge that stakeholders be brought together in an attempt to reach agreement on these and other outstanding issues. We also urge that a legislative hearing be held on the bill for the benefit of the members being asked to debate and vote on it.

“We look forward to working with Senator Leahy on targeted and effective approaches to reducing online piracy.”