Paul Goldstein is the Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford University and the author of two previous novels. His next book, Havana Requiem, will be published by FSG in April. The real story behind the recent blowup over legislation regulating piracy on the Internet has less to do with the fears of motion picture studios or the intransigence of technology companies than with the legislative process itself. By taking their lead exclusively from copyright owners, and failing substantively to consult with technology companies, committee members in the House, much like their Senate counterparts earlier, forfeited the opportunity for a workable solution.