mmcp42:
Still can't see the relevance outside the US so why are we involved?
One simple example ... Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. operates several root DNS servers around the world including in the U.S. Which means they (like many root server operators) fall under the jurisdiction of U.S. law. SOPA / PIPA would give the executive branch of the U.S. government the ability to shutdown any "foreign" website at the root DNS level. In other words, the U.S. Attorney General could potentially cut off a U.K. website by compelling Internet Systems Consortium to remove or poison DNS records.
The law has no provisions for remediation. Once a site is removed, even if the removal was a mistake, the only recourse is to hope the Attorney General sees reason or to sue the U.S. government.