In view of increasing online outrage over statements supporting the Stop Online Privacy Act, GoDaddy just announced it’s reversing its position and no longer supports SOPA. In a statement released earlier today, newly appointed CEO Warren Adelman explained that the about-face is the result of those opposing SOPA–a position that the company had previously dismissed as “myopic.”
“Fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why GoDaddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation–but we can clearly do better,” said Adelman, adding that “It’s very important that all Internet stakeholders work together on this. Getting it right is worth the wait… As a company that is all about innovation, with our own technology and in support of our customers, GoDaddy is rooted in the idea of First Amendment Rights and believes 100 percent that the Internet is a key engine for our new economy.”
(MORE: GoDaddy Threatened by Boycott for Supporting SOPA)
In light of the company’s new position, blog posts from the company’s General Counsel Christine Jones–in which SOPA was described as “thoughtful and comprehensive” as well as “preserving, protecting, and creating American jobs”–have been removed from the site, a move explained as “an effort to eliminate any confusion about [GoDaddy’s] reversal on SOPA.” Jones is quoted in the statement as saying that “GoDaddy has always fought to preserve the intellectual property rights of third parties, and will continue to do so in the future.”
While GoDaddy’s new position is reasonably clear, it attempts to suggest the reversal is itself in perfect accord with the company’s pre-SOPA philosophy, characterizing the official announcement as GoDaddy “remain[ing] steadfast in its promise to support security and [the] stability of the Internet.” Either way, this was a remarkably fast turnaround. Given all that’s wrong with SOPA, call it a Christmas miracle, then.
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Disclosure: Time Inc. parent company Time Warner supports SOPA legislation.
Graeme McMillan is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @Graemem or on Facebook at Facebook/Graeme.McMillan. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.