GoDaddy.com's Support for SOPA Draws Heat from Competitors, Web Users

By Connor Adams Sheets | December 22 2011 5:24 PM

Declaring support for SOPA is generating increasing fallout for major Web companies as the American public becomes more aware of the controversial legislation.

GoDaddy.com

GoDaddy.com withdrew its support of the Stop Online Privacy Act, or SOPA, last week. However, as part of "Dump GoDaddy Day" on Thursday, people are ceasing to do business with GoDaddy and switching their domain registration to competitors.

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Domain registration company GoDaddy.com is the latest Web entity to take heat for backing the Stop Online Piracy Act, and competitor NameCheap.com is taking advantage of the uproar.

So on Thursday NameCheap posted a missive on its Twitter account aimed at securing the business of Web domain owners who are threatening to switch their domain providers in protest of GoDaddy's position on the bill.

Unlike the competition, we oppose SOPA because we believe in internet freedom, NameCheap Tweeted. Transfer your domains over for $6.99 with code SOPASucks.

GoDaddy filed a statement with the U.S. House of Representatives last month in support of SOPA that has gained a lot of attention as SOPA comes under ever-fiercer criticism from a wide range of groups.

It is for these reasons that I'm still struggling with why some Internet companies oppose PROTECT IP and SOPA, the statement, which is included in full below, said. There is no question that we need these added tools to counteract illegal foreign sites that are falling outside the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement.

Some of its major customers are also coming out against GoDaddy's support of SOPA, including Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh, who said he will move more than 1,000 domains (including big names like Know Your Meme and FAIL Blog) if it doesn't recant its support.

Legislators say SOPA is merely aimed at tackling web piracy, but critics say it will restrict freedom of speech on the Web.

The Full Text of GoDaddy's Statement Filed with the U.S. House of Representatives:

Go Daddy has a long history of supporting federal legislation directed toward combating illegal conduct on the Internet. For example, our company strongly supported the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008, the Protect Our Children Act of 2008, and the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (PROTECT IP). Go Daddy has always supported both government and private industry efforts to identify and disable all types of illegal activity on the Internet. It is for these reasons that I'm still struggling with why some Internet companies oppose PROTECT IP and SOPA. There is no question that we need these added tools to counteract illegal foreign sites that are falling outside the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement. And there is clearly more that we could all be doing to adequately address the problems that exist.