The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has withdrawn its support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) .
The reversal comes despite a statement issued earlier this month in which the association said that, while it was "mindful of concerns" over its support, it had no intention of dropping its backing.
"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 association explains 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.”
The "unintended consequences" mentioned refer to a stipulation that required internet service providers to block the DNS addresses of overseas websites that infringe on the IP rights of US companies. This was subsequently removed after opponents claimed it could make the internet less secure.
Voting on the controversial bill was postponed last week following the wide-spread criticism, the US House Of Representatives saying: "The voice of the internet community has been heard. Much more education for members of Congress about the workings of the internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal."
The ESA is now calling 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."
Whether we'll see a more pro-active stance from the ESA on SOPA and PIPA following this about-face remains to be seen.