Major Internet companies have formed a united front in their opposition to the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act. Well, almost. One exception has been the domain registrar GoDaddy. In an op-ed published in Politico shortly after SOPA was introduced in the House, GoDaddy applauded the bill and called opponents “myopic.”
Now furious Internet users at reddit (owned by Advance Publications, which also owns Condé Nast) have organized a boycott of the registrar.
“I just finished writing GoDaddy a letter stating why I’m moving my small businesses 51 domains away from them, as well as my personal domains,” wrote redditor selfprodigy on Thursday morning. He proposed that Dec. 29 be declared “move your domain day,” with GoDaddy customers switching to competing registrars. The post has accumulated more than 1,500 comments, most of them supporting the idea.
We contacted GoDaddy for comment. A spokesman declined to comment on the boycott specifically, but reiterated the firm’s support for the legislation. She sent us a link to the company’s written testimony to the House Judiciary Committee last month.
“This debate is about preserving, protecting, and creating American jobs, and protecting American consumers from the dangers that they face on-line,” the statement reads. “US businesses are getting robbed and US consumers are getting duped.”
The company dismissed free speech concerns. “Not only is there no First Amendment concern, but the notion that we should turn a blind eye to criminal conduct because other countries may take oppressive steps in response is an affront to the very fabric of this nation.”
GoDaddy appears to be doubling down on this position. Today, it reposted its Politico op-ed to the GoDaddy support forums. Comments were disabled.
The House Judiciary Committee has released a list of 142 companies that support SOPA. GoDaddy appears to be the only domain registrar, or Internet company for that matter, on the list. Indeed, even traditionally strong copyright supporters like the Business Software Alliance have been having second thoughts about the legislation.