Breaking down PIPA

The House’s Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate’s Protect Intellectual Property Act (shown below), were drafted to target foreign Web sites that illegally host copyrighted material. But companies like Google and Reddit argue that the onus of blocking out pirated material may fall on U.S. companies to police every link on their Web sites, and that the bill is too vague. PIPA, as amended on May 26, 2011, is shown below.

Click on the points below for a closer look at the bill:

1. "Infringing activities"

See how PIPA defines an "Internet site dedicate to infringing activities."

2. Foreign sites

Proponents argue the bill targets action towards nondomestic domains.

3. How sites are stopped

Critics say allowing the Attorney General to shut down sites may violate due process.

4. Removing links

Search engines like Google could be disabled for displaying links to infringing sites.

5. "In good faith"

Legal scholars argue that liability based on "in good faith" has the potential for abuse.

SOURCE: Staff reports. GRAPHIC: Hayley Tsukayama and Sisi Wei - The Washington Post. Published Jan. 18, 2012.