Did Mitt Romney Just Come Out Against SOPA/PIPA?

from the maybe? dept

Mon, Jan 9th 2012 8:35am — Mike Masnick

At a recent campaign stop, a small business owner asked Mitt Romney for his opinion on SOPA, noting that it would likely kill her business. Romney responded without discussing the bills specifically, but said that he's totally against bills like this that just focus on "stopping bad acts," and that he wants politicians to focus on encouraging businesses to do good things.

I don't know if that's an unqualified rejection of SOPA/PIPA, but it sure comes close. He's talking about out-of-touch regulators who've spent their lives in DC, rather than in business, and "all they think about is how to stop business and stop the bad guys," (which does, in fact, describe SOPA/PIPA) but, Romney says, this is just a sign that "they don't like business very much." Indeed. SOPA/PIPA are very much bills that focus solely on trying to "stop bad guys," without taking into account the massive amount of harm that will be done to the good guys -- the companies who are innovating and are creating jobs. Given that he doesn't really discuss specifics, and just talks in generalities about bad regulations and harming business, it's possible that he has no idea what SOPA/PIPA are about, and gave a Generic Politicians'(tm) answer to a question. But hopefully more people will hold him to this, and get him to confirm that he's against these bills.

Either way, with more people asking about SOPA/PIPA, it's definitely starting to become a campaign issue...

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Filed Under: business, mitt romney, pipa, politics, protect ip, regulations, sopa

51 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 8:44am

He's only saying that now, if he were our current president chances are he would pass this act in a hurry.
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Chris ODonnell (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 8:46am

You can't trust anything Romney says. The only thing he really believes in is his own fitness to be President.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 8:49am

"Either way, with more people asking about SOPA/PIPA, it's definitely starting to become a campaign issue..."

Yeah, and when Obama was running for president, based on what he was saying and harping on how he wants to keep the Internet open and not mess with it, etc... no one would have guessed that he would come close to passing such a law. Once in office he drastically changed.

Romney is no different. They promise you the world when running for office, but when actually elected, he will become a corporate stooge just like the rest of them. I don't believe it for one second.
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Jay (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 8:49am

Re:
I have to agree. I've been looking into his holdings with the Bain company he represents. They are better known for destroying jobs and moving them overseas than saving anything.

Further, Romney is using overseas accounts to hold onto his capital gains. He's a big banker that is just pandering based on all of the evidence presented about him.
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Machin Shin (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 8:52am

Re:
That makes him different from every other politician how?
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:04am

You can't trust a word Mitt Romney says, he says whatever he thinks the audience wants to hear, see his conveniently timed flip flops on stuff like abortion, gay rights, health insurance mandates, etc.

Heck, at the last republican debate Romney claimed to have never seen the attack ads his supporters super PAC are running against Newt. Then a few seconds later Romney started to describe one of those attack ads in great detail, and defend each of the attacks as truthful.

So until Romney states 100% clearly that he's against SOPA, without leaving himself a 'out' to claim otherwise later, don't trust him.
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anonymous disenfranchised Dutch coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:07am

vote for me bla bla bla
O hay, is it election time? Vague bla bla and nothing more. Ron Paul has a lot more to say on issues like these, but as he seriously means what he is saying Big Media and Big Money will funnel the money to some other guy. Good luck America.
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gorehound (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:10am

These guys will say anything they want to get more Votes.
The same old games they play in Washington and a lot of us in the real World are really getting fed up with the BS.
I would love to see more Candidates running who refuse to accept Big Money and make that a BIG POINT of their running for a Government Seat.We are all being held hostage by the influx of Big Money donations.
Maybe in 2012 we will see a serious March on Washington by the Millions.I will be there if that is going to happen.
And when it comes to SOPA/PIPA I am on a total boycott of all things MPAA/RIAA and that is what they get for trying to Censor my life.I have Done a SOPA/PIPA on the whole lot of them by CENSORING THEM FROM TOUCHING MY WALLET in any way or form.No Netflix,AMZ,Itunes,No New Products,no cable, and no theater.Only buying used physical things for I hope the rest of my Earthly Existence.
SOPA/PIPA = WAR
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bjupton (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:10am

Re: Re:
There are matters of degrees. Romney does seem to be particularly empty.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:13am

Would you expect Romney to even know what SOPA/PIPA are?
I'd be surprised if Romney had any idea what these bills even are; it sounds like he was giving a deliberately vague answer to a "gotcha" question where he didn't actually know what his campaign strategists would advise his answer to be to.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:15am

Re:
Romney also managed to point out in the ABC debate this weekend that one of the keys to foreign policy with China was to get them to stop "stealing America's intelletual property". He figures that's a mechanism to build jobs in America.

WHHOOOOOOSSSHHHH!
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RobShaver (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:16am

What politicians say ...
What politicians say doesn't matter. Only pay attention to what they actually do. That's where I think I went wrong when I voted for Obama.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:20am

You know what's telling is that no politician runs for office saying "I'm gonna pass laws like SOPA and I'm going to pass stricter IP laws and more stricter IP enforcement bills". No, and do you know why they don't run for office under these pretexts? Because they know darn well that the American people do not want these laws. Instead, they run for office claiming the opposite, because they know that the people want the opposite, but when elected they do the exact opposite of what they claim. This is more evidence that the American people do not want these laws and politicians even know it.

These laws are not being passed because the American people want them. Don't think that the politicians currently in office think that the American people want these laws, they know darn well these laws aren't wanted and wouldn't be claiming to support these laws if they were running for office right now. If anything, they would be criticizing them. Do you think they magically forget what the American people want once elected? No. They know what the people want when running for office and so they know what they want when in office. These laws are not intended to serve the interests and will of the public, they're intended to serve the interests of the government-industrial complex.
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Biff, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:31am

Ron Paul's position on this is very clear and not vague at all. He is against Protect IP and SOPA.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:35am

Re:
And a broken clock is right twice a day.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:43am

Re: Re:
Touche
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rubberpants, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:45am

Re: Would you expect Romney to even know what SOPA/PIPA are?
Ding ding ding!
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Clay (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:47am

Re: Re:
So he's right twice as much as other politicians?
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bjupton (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:47am

Re: Re:
He says that as he's likely still profiting directly from companies which moved to China through his Bain holdings.

That's all fine and dandy if you're a private citizen, but why should the American voter be excited about rewarding that behavior and how can they believe that he wants to be President to help the American people?
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Jay (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:49am

Re: Re: Re:
Even higher amount...
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The Mighty Buzzard (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:50am

Re: Re: Re:
Exactly. Romney would sell his mother for a nickle, whereas Obama would hold out for an entire dime.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:54am

Re: Re:
Well, if by "stealing America's intelletual property" he's referring to computer hacking by Chinese companies to copy trade secrets from US companies, then yes, it's becoming a serious problem. It may not be so clear what the US government can do about it though.
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Cixelsid (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 9:55am

Romney pretty much says whatever the hell you want him to say.
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DH's Love Child (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 10:06am

Re: Re: Re:
Stealing trade secrets is a completely different animal from "stealing" intellectual property (or in legalese: Infringement).

Stealing trade secrets is a form of industrial espionage.

Copyright infringement is, well, not industrial espionage.
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Violated (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 10:13am

OPEN?
Well that sounds to me like not only an anti-SOPA/PIPA stance but also a pro-OPEN stance.

It seems helpful to move piracy away from punishment and instead turn it over to trade control. Even to encourage piracy sites to turn lawful in exchange for a cut of the profits.

Then we can separate out those who do it for money against those who do it for more honourable reasons even if the latter kind get some serious funding squeeze.
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Jason, 9 Jan 2012 @ 10:19am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
I disagree, Romney would ask for a dollar, and give a grand show on why he should get it. He will be offered a nickle, and take it. Obama would then want the dime, but when things got heated would settle for three pennies. I mean that is how the gov't works now?
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Machin Shin (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 10:37am

Re: Re: Re:
The sad part is that there really is no need to hack anything. Almost everything these days is made in China. Someone comes up with a great new product and want to go to market with it. So they go to china to have it produced. Soon as they do that the plans for the product are sent to a company in China who fills the order. Then the company makes a few more bucks mass producing product and selling the copies. No hacking or anything fancy involved.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 10:57am

Re:
What the hell do you mean "will become"? Are you trying to imply that he's not right now? If so, thems fightin' words!
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vtcoward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 11:48am

VT Senator Sanders Statement
"Thank you for contacting me regarding the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, also called the PROTECT IP Act. As a strong champion of a diverse marketplace and consumer rights, I appreciate the opportunity to address this important issue.

This is a complex issue, and many people have strong feelings about balancing intellectual property interests with the expectations of those rightly accustomed to open communication on the internet. I am an advocate of legislation protective of online privacy.

There's no doubt that we need to protect legitimate intellectual property rights, but we must remember as we do this, that it is of the utmost importance to keep the internet free and open. As you know, I have not cosponsored this legislation. I share your concerns that we proceed very carefully as we move into the future: the openness of the internet must be protected. I will continue to monitor this legislation closely and if it comes to the floor, I will keep your very cogent and compelling concerns in mind. "
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 11:58am

Re: Re:
That's too bad, because I just tweeted that Mike Masnick and the pirate ilk at Techdirt are endorsing Mitt Romney for President.
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SimonTek, 9 Jan 2012 @ 12:07pm

Indiana
I asked my local congressmen in Lafayette, And they are against it. I was happy.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 12:11pm

Re:
" Ron Paul's position on this is very clear and not vague at all. He is against Protect IP and SOPA. "

And you know, are ABSOLUTELY sure he won't just change his stance once elected ? Just like any other career politician.

How do you 'know' this ?
Is this a fact or just something you 'Believe' ?

I'd love to believe it to but as a participating registered voter for 32 years I have never seen a single politician keep a promise once elected.

If you have some sort of proof then i would love to see it.
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Steve R. (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 12:19pm

Romney Livid
In watching the Republican debates Romney has been absolutely livid concerning the need to stop the the theft of so-called "intellectual property". Based on his extreme posturing so far, I would suspect that he would be all for SOPA/PIPA. Civil liberties would become obsolete.

But then that assumes that he is even aware of these proposed laws.

He also does not seem to equate US deficit spending with National Security or the (false) protection so-called "intellectual property". Simplistically, all that China needs to do is buy our companies to acquire all the so-called "intellectual property" that they need.
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Steve R. (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 12:31pm

China Produces, the Creators Will Move There
Shin raises a very sad truth that seems to get overlooked. That is that the creators of products will move to the places of manufacture (not that they have to given today's networked computer systems). The point is that politicians, such as Romney are proposed solutions that are irrelevant.

Sure it sounds good and reasonable to say that you will prevent theft. But think about what happens when the creators leave to other countries. We will no longer be creating, we will have established onerous laws that the other countries, such as China, will use against us. We will end-up paying ridiculously high licensing fees. We are committing a form of economic suicide by proposing these laws.
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Sarah, 9 Jan 2012 @ 1:01pm

Romney, Schmomney.
Romney is all over the place and always has been. Wouldn't surprise me a bit to hear him say the exact opposite a week from now.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 1:40pm

Romney's answer was a lot better than Santorum's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT0SX2jpgFQ
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TtfnJohn (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 2:11pm

Funny thing about all of this "regulation is bad" stuff that gets picked up in an election is that more often than not the one saying it the loudest during a campaign has often turned out the be the one adding the most new stuff.

Oh yeah, one or two high profile best before date long expired regulations get tossed but then other things somehow start to creep in to replace them. Fees that never existed before that come with pages of what you need to do to comply and that sort of thing.

At least you got to get screwed for free before now you have to pay a fee first! (General not specific statement for you nitpickers out there.)

Until Romney or any other Republican says they are absolutely, clearly, completely, going to their grave sworn on their grandmother's gravestone against SOPA/PIPA I, for one, wouldn't believe it.

Even from Ron Paul
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 2:33pm

Now if Mitt Romney would just come out of the closet...
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Thomas (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 4:06pm

Politicians..
will come out for/against any issue, regardless of how they really feel about it. Campaign promises mean nothing anymore; they only give whatever answers they think will get them votes.

Think of it like Hitler campaigning for Jewish rights in the 1930s before he seized power..todays politicians are much the same.

Also "honest politician" is an oxymoron anyway.
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Dan (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 4:07pm

He's full of crap
Did you notice that, "I'll put a hold on everything Obama did..."? The president can't put a hold on anything previously passed by congress.
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A Guy (profile), 9 Jan 2012 @ 4:25pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
I'm really impressed by Ron Paul and John Huntsman. Anyone know where Huntsman stands on this issue?
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 4:26pm

Re: Re:
Ron Paul has upheld his election campaign for 30 years. He has voted according to the principles he has claimed every single time. A voting record of a politician speaks wonders and Ron Paul's is very impressive.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2012 @ 5:56pm

Re: He's full of crap
Ever heard of an executive order?
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Wayne Cooper, 13 Jan 2012 @ 8:36am

Big Banker Romney
Goldman Sachs have there hands so far up Romney's rear end when they mover their fingers his mouth flops like a sock doll.
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Pink Jazz, 14 Jan 2012 @ 2:59pm

Anyone who thinks Romney is in favor of SOPA is a F***ING LIAR
All of the comments here are a bunch of liberal lies. The video clearly shows that Romney is anti-SOPA. In fact, the lead sponsor of the its sister bill, PIPA, is a DEMOCRAT. This issue has nothing to do with being a Republicn or Democrat.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Jan 2012 @ 5:53am

Listen closely to what he said. He never said he was against SOPA, and he never said he would repeal it.

"Every regulation that has come out during the Obama years, I will put a hold on when I become president, and then I will review those regulations and get rid of the ones I don't like."
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Slade, 17 Jan 2012 @ 11:34pm

Re: Re:
Ron Paul sure is different. His views on every single topic are very clear and he has never changed his stance. His voting record shows this. This is why he will not get elected, because he is better human being than he is a politician.
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Slade, 17 Jan 2012 @ 11:36pm

Ron Paul supports internet freedom
Ron Paul sure is different. His views on every single topic are very clearcut and he has never changed his stance. His voting record shows this. This is why he will not get elected, because he is better human being than he is a politician.
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Me, 19 Jan 2012 @ 7:22am

Re: Re:
That's why people need to look more into Ron Paul. He's been consistently against this from the very beginning. He's been consistent on practically all his opinions (his view on the death penalty changed but for a hell of a good point). He speaks for the youth. Help spread the word to all the other younger Crowds who decided not to participate in elections. The baby boomers all want to censor him and will vote against to save their own asses. We can beat them!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2012 @ 1:08pm

Re: Re:
He is certainly like most, (obama) but not all.

i bet rand pauls opposition to this wasnt based on pandering to the current mood and headlines.

ron paul 2012!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2012 @ 1:14pm

Re: Re:
the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior...
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