By Jim Puzzanghera
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON – The online piracy bill that helped spark this week’s unprecedented Internet protests will be redrafted, its lead sponsor in the House of Representatives said Friday.
The move came shortly after the Senate postponed a key vote on the companion bill scheduled for next week and amid calls for consensus before Congress moves forward on any legislation to address the problem of foreign piracy websites.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, had hoped to push his Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, through the committee next month. But in the wake of growing opposition triggered by Wednesday’s Internet blackout, Smith said the committee “will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution.”