Smith's decision to amend the bill comes a day after the Senate sponsor of similar legislation takes the same action.

The first major update of U.S. patent law goes to President Obama for his signature.

A U.S. Senate committee has unanimously approved a controversial bill that would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders requiring search engines and Internet service providers to stop sending traffic to websites accused of infringing copyright.

Representatives from both Apple and Google will testify at a Congressional hearing next month on consumer privacy and smartphones , two U.S. senators confirmed on Thursday.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a controversial bill that would allow the government to seek court orders to shut down websites offering materials believed to infringe copyright.