A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers recently introduced new legislation designed to further enforce intellectual property rights.

The bill, known as the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or the PROTECT IP Act, calls for a crackdown on websites that offer goods that infringe intellectual property rights.

Senator Patrick Leahy, who introduced the legislation, said it "will protect the investment American companies make in developing brands and creating content and will protect the jobs associated with those investments."

The bill has been met with both praise and criticism.

The Business Software Alliance expressed support for the senators who introduced the proposed legislation. BSA president and CEO Robert Holleyman described the PROTECT IP Act as "an important contribution to the debate about how to counter online infringement."

According to Holleyman, the BSA hopes to work with politicians to ensure that the bill "effectively targets the worst actors without inhibiting technology innovations."

The proposed legislation has also met with some criticism. According to a CNET report, some critics have complained that the bill's definition of an "internet site dedicated to infringing activities" remains problematically vague.