The House Judiciary Committee has introduced the long-awaited legislation–H.R. 3261, The Stop Online Piracy Act, aimed at cutting foreign rogue sites off from the U.S. marketplace. We’ve long touted the breadth of support for rogue sites legislation .And we are joined by a coalition of more than 380 businesses, trade associations, and professional groups from nearly every sector of the economy in all 50 states for enhanced tools to protect American jobs and consumers from foreign online thieves. Add to that 43 state attorneys general, prominent state and local elected officials, and numerous third party groups have gotten behind rogue sites legislation. Each day moving forward, the GIPC will highlight a statement of support that illustrates the diverse coalition behind enacting this legislation into law.

To kick it off, we’ll here from Michael Wu, General Counsel of Rosetta Stone, a well-respected company that has taught millions to broaden their horizons and master new languages. As detailed in a previous Rogue Site of the Week blog, Rosetta Stone is unfortunately a huge target for online pirates and has had to fight rogue sites who seek to dilute the respectability of Rosetta Stone brand. As Mr. Wu puts it:

“At Rosetta Stone, a Virginia company with more than 1,000 employees, we have felt the significant negative impact of online counterfeiting and piracy. We have been targeted by foreign criminals seeking to profit from the heavy investment in our brand and our intellectual property. While we have devoted significant resources to combat rogue websites that steal our intellectual property and dupe consumers, these pirates have made our enforcement efforts difficult. That is why we need rogue sites legislation. This legislation should be a critical priority for Congress. At a time when the U.S. economy— and U.S. jobs— are increasingly dependent on ideas and innovation, it is essential that protections be put in place against theft and piracy so that the Internet will not be a haven for foreign counterfeiters to steal American jobs.”

Rosetta Stone is just one of a multitude of voices from across the United States who are urging Congress to adopt rogue sites legislation NOW. We can’t let these foreign IP thieves get the best of our innovative industries.