MPAA and Lamar Smith call SOPA/PIPA Blackout 'Publicity Stunt'

The author of the SOPA bill in Congress Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) accused Wikipedia of "spreading misinformation" about SOPA by protesting the bill with a 24-hour blackout today. He announced yesterday that Congress will debate the bill in February. Meanwhile the MPAA, who have lobbied for bills like SOPA to be passed, said that the SOPA/PIPA blackout is a "dangerous gimmick" to punish elected officials.

Why are they even responding in this manner? It clearly shows how out of touch they are with their constituents. These online protests are raising awareness of how stupid these bills are -- and the only real harm that has happened is the inability for kids across America to do homework (copy/paste Wiki entries) for 24 hours.

Read the statement:

Via The Hill / BuzzFeed / L.A. Times / The Daily Dot