Rep. Ben Quayle, originally a co-sponsor, pulled his name from the list of sponsors. SOPA co-sponsors defect amid protests

An Internet blackout Wednesday by Wikipedia, Reddit, Mozilla and thousands of other sites against two anti-piracy bills in Congress has started to have its desired effect: Co-sponsors of the legislation have changed sides and other lawmakers have called for more debate before any vote.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — who was a co-sponsor of the PROTECT IP Act — became the latest lawmaker Wednesday to pull his support. In the House, Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.), originally a co-sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, pulled his name from the list of sponsors on Tuesday. A spokesman for Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), meanwhile, told the Omaha World-Herald on Wednesday that the congressman is also unable to support SOPA as written.


The widespread Internet protest is even bringing new Washington voices into the fray. Mostly silent in the debate, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) tweeted Wednesday he doesn’t back the bills.

"I support intellectual property rights, but I oppose SOPA & PIPA," DeMint tweeted. "They're misguided bills that will cause more harm than good."

At least one member of Congress will also join the blackout protest unfolding across the Web. Freshman Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), who represents the libertarian wing of the GOP, changed his Facebook profile photo to a logo of the words SOPA and PIPA crossed out and he also disabled his Facebook wall so people cannot post content to it.

"These bills give the federal government unprecedented power to censor Internet content and will stifle the free flow of information and ideas," Amash wrote in a post on his profile. "Demand that Congress and the president keep the Internet open and free."

Others, however, are using the protest to stake their ground in the debate.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) took to Twitter to tell followers that he heard concerns over the PROTECT IP Act “loud & clear & share in these concerns,” noting that he was “working to ensure critical changes are made to the bill.

“I’m fully committed to ensuring that any bill that passes the Senate will maintain freedom of the internet & protect intellectual property,” Menendez also tweeted. Menendez is a co-sponsor of PIPA.

It was last week that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) joined other GOP colleagues in asking Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid to postpone a cloture vote on PIPA. Yet on Wednesday, Cornyn took to Facebook to air concerns not with PIPA, but SOPA, its House cousin.

“SOPA: better to get this done right rather than fast and wrong,” Cornyn wrote. “Stealing content is theft, plain and simple, but concerns about unintended damage to the internet and innovation in the tech sector require a more thoughtful balance, which will take more time.”

Rubio, in a post on his Facebook page, said he initially signed on to the legislation because he believed it was necessary to combat online piracy and intellectual theft. Though the bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, Rubio said he’s since then heard “legitimate concerns” whether PIPA would be overly restrictive for Internet companies.

Rubio also called on Reid to halt the vote on PIPA, which is currently scheduled for a key procedural vote on Jan. 24.

With help from Seung Min Kim

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 7:52 a.m. on January 18, 2012.