Update (11:15 a.m. EST): In Congress's lower chamber, Rep. Lamar Smith, the sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, which activists have opposed along with PIPA, said he would also halt consideration of the bill. "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," he said in a statement in response to Reid's announcement that he would delay a vote on PIPA. So now progress on passing both bills has been arrested indefinitely.

Original: The Senate just announced it would delay a vote on the PROTECT IP Act, one of the two bills online activists have been campaigning hard to stop, which is a pretty clear sign this week's blackout of Wikipedia and other sites worked. "In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the Protect IP Act," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The bill known as PIPA would make it easier for the U.S. Department of Justice to ask for a court order to disable a site it believed was infringing on U.S. copyrights. Online information activists say it hinders free speech and innovation, and Reid's announcement on Friday indicates he thinks there's merit to that argument. "I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks." Reid said. Now that they have an opening, the bill's opponents are going to have to either kill it completely or come up with some language that will satisfy the internet freedom activists as well as the powerful entertainment lobby, which has been pushing for PIPA and its House analog SOPA to pass.

compromise is a fair option,

https://rt.com/usa/news/hollywood-obama-sopa-support-229/

Now Hollywood is threatening to pull back on
campaign monies because Obama isn't pushing their agenda.

We should all be asking our candidates ..
"what are your supporters expecting from you for all that money?"

Screw the entertainment industry. Over rated, and over payed royalty!!
We the people, not we are Hollywood!!!

my dad once told me

;you are worth as much as you think you are AND as much as someone is willing to pay you'

entertainers, athletes, and the likes make ALOT of people ALOT of money, so I think their incomes are justified,,,

and if there is an AGREED upon contract, their employment and income are as legitimate as any other,,,,it costs major investments to create the products we have come to feel so entitled to,, and I feel those producing and creating deserve to make income as much as any of us,, and not be working for 'free'....

I don't care if they make money,
I don't like that they buy my government with it.

Our artists and entertainment industry deserve protection. SOPA and
PIPA were just not the way - they could not provide the protection
and would clearly cause all kinds of serious problems.

Here is an article by an IP atty in NYC with an alternative who notes

"In fact, federal courts already possess the legal power to shut down foreign websites that are directly engaged in offering illegal goods to U.S. consumers."

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/01/19/joseph-c-gioconda-a-better-way-to-fight-online-piracy-than-sopa/

well, there ya go

now we can worry about people having jobs and security in real time,,,

I would like to know HOW a federal court can give itself the power to shut down a foreign website. I would think the best they would be able to do is block it from American servers.