The controversial Stop Online Piracy and Protect IP acts have been temporarily shelved as congressional lawmakers figure out their next move.
The Senate will postpone the vote on PIPA that was originally scheduled for Jan. 24, House Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Jan. 20. He made the decision after weeks of intense lobbying by technology companies and industry associations opposed to the bill, which culminated in a one-day Internet strike led by online site Wikipedia. Google collected over 4 million signatures on its petition protesting the bill.
The House Judiciary Committee will postpone markup on SOPA and "revisit the approach" on how to stop online piracy, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the committee's chairman and lead sponsor of the bill, said in a statement shortly after Reid's announcement.
"I have heard from the critics, and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy," Smith said.
Congress will work with copyright owners and Internet companies to develop a consensus on the best approach to stopping piracy on the Web, Smith said. The bills themselves are not dead, as there is still a possibility lawmakers will move ahead after making some modifications.
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