Terry to remove name from bill

Rep. Lee Terry said Tuesday that he will pull his name as a co-sponsor of a heavily debated bill that has taken aim at online piracy and intellectual property protection.

The Nebraska Republican co-sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, because of the economic impact that online piracy has on the U.S. economy, said Charles Isom, a Terry spokesman.

But after waves of negative sentiment toward the bill from free speech and civil rights groups, technology companies and others, Isom said, Terry has concluded that SOPA, as currently drafted, isn't the solution.

Isom said Terry has long been an advocate of an open Internet, something that opponents think was threatened by SOPA. The bill would give the U.S. attorney general authority to seek court orders against foreign Internet sites believed to be engaging in copyright infringement or online piracy. The bill also would grant the government broad power to go after websites hosting copyright content.

Terry's name is expected to be officially removed by the end of Wednesday.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com

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