Website protests work as US shelves anti-piracy bills

The US Congress on Friday stopped the proposed new anti-piracy legislation in its tracks, soon after major internet service providers led by Wikipedia staged an unprecedented blackout protest on Wednesday against the previously fast-moving bills.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for 24 January "in light of recent events."

Using a medium that helped organise protests against the legislation, Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, announced via Twitter that the vote would be delayed. But he indicated that the issue was not dead.

Lamar Smith, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives judiciary committee, also said the committee would delay action on similar legislation until there is wider agreement on the issue.

"I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products," Smith said in a statement.

The Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) are aimed at curbing access to overseas websites that traffic in pirated content and counterfeit products such as movies and music.