Arlington, VA – 01/18/2012 – The following statement is attributable to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® in regard to the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act:

“Online infringement is a serious issue, and the OPEN Act provides a smart, targeted way to go after infringers.

“The process put forth in the OPEN Act is simple and straightforward: it tasks the International Trade Commission (ITC) with the prosecution of violations of U.S. copyrights and trademarks by foreign-owned websites. If the ITC concludes that a foreign-based site is violating the law, the ITC would require U.S. advertising networks and payment processors to terminate services to the unlawful site. This is a smart, targeted approach that shuts down pirates without harming legitimate businesses or unjustly enriching trial lawyers.

“With every passing day it becomes more clear that the extreme strategies represented by the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) are not politically viable. It is time for Congress to concentrate on reasonable solutions, and move forward with the OPEN Act as an effective anti-piracy approach that does not cause collateral damage to innovation.”