Senate antipiracy bill on hold

As expected, a bill that would have given the U.S. Department of Justice increased ability to shut down sites it accused of illegal file sharing, won't be a law any time soon.

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act proposes to give the DOJ the power to shut down Web sites "deemed" to be trafficking in pirated films, software, music and other U.S. intellectual property. Attempts to rush the bill through the Senate before Congress adjourned to allow members to campaign for the November elections were unsuccessful. The legislation simply ran out of time.

Supporters, who now must wait until after the November elections to take up the bill once again, said they believed they could get the bill passed quickly because it faced little opposition. The bill was supported by members of both major political parties, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), and scores of entertainment industry trade groups.

For more on this story, read Senate antipiracy bill shelved. Now what? on CNET News.