That measure, along with a slightly different House bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), became a lightning rod for controversy, with digital-rights advocates and prominent websites like Wikipedia and Reddit warning that the bills would lead to the restriction of lawful online content and eventually participating in a day of protest when they and scores of other sites went dark.
That groundswell of opposition effectively killed the bills, which were strongly backed by anti-piracy groups representing the movie and music industries, among others. Many lawmakers who had supported PIPA and SOPA have since backed away from the issue, and Leahy gave no indication that he intends to renew the fight for tougher online copyright laws in the coming session.
Kenneth Corbin is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who covers government and regulatory issues for CIO.com. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, on Facebook, and on Google +.
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