The online community is buzzing about the blackout protest staged on Wednesday by major U.S. websites against proposed anti-piracy legislation. While the efforts certainly gained attention for their cause, German commentators say they may have missed the point.

It was an unprecedented protest. The Internet blackout staged on Wednesday by a number of prominent American websites in opposition to anti-piracy legislation has sparked widespread debate over online freedoms in the country.

Led by Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia, which blacked out its site for the day, thousands of other sites also expressed their opposition to the proposed legislation, which they claim is tantamount to censorship. Search engine giant Google put a mock censorship bar over its logo for the day, and many of the sites that took part in the blackout urged users to contact their lawmakers about the proposal, which is meant to cut access to foreign websites that provide copyrighted content or counterfeit products.

But opponents argue that the bills threaten free speech and online innovation. On its darkened webpage, Wikipedia warned users that "the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet."