The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and has lost yet another supporter, this time one that has defiantly supported since the beginning. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), who has voiced its support for the two bills, has now come out against the two pieces of proposed legislation.

SOPA and the Protect IP Act were put on hold last week after an unprecedented protest on the Internet, which saw a huge number of websites blackout service in opposition of the two bills such as Firefall developer Red 5, Wikipedia and Reddit just to name a few. Following the protest, several senators withdrew their support for the bills and they were shelved for further research and discussion.

Whether it was all the politicians jumping ship, the founding of the League for Gamers, the massive protest or maybe this visual video by blogger Andrew Eisen, the ESA has now changed its view using similar speak to what many opponents have been saying from the beginning.

"From the beginning, ESA has been committed to the passage of balanced legislation to address the illegal theft of intellectual property found on foreign rogue sites," the group said in a statement. "Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our industry's creative investment remains, concerns have been expressed about unintended consequences stemming from the current legislative proposals. Accordingly, we call upon Congress, the Obama Administration, and stakeholders to refocus their energies on producing a solution that effectively balances both creative and technology interests. As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection and are committed to working with all parties to encourage a balanced solution."

But despite being shelved and having a wave of negativity and political reshuffling washing over its former hefty support, SOPA and PIPA are far from gone.

Source: Kotaku