The Stop Online Piracy Act has been stopped.

The legislation, aimed at curbing the online theft of everything from movies to prescriptions, was met with a backlash that reverberated from Washington to Wikipedia to the north country. On Friday, its main House sponsor, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said the legislation would be tabled until agreement on the matter could be reached.

Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, is a SOPA sponsor. He said the bill would help save American jobs, and he welcomed changes to the legislation, even as it became clear that nothing short of a full retraction would satisfy critics.

“Since my first interview on the legislation, I have been open to changes that address the theft of American intellectual property, and I’m glad concerns will be addressed through a thoughtful, civil legislative process,” Mr. Owens said in an emailed statement. “Outreach this week from constituents was a great example of democracy in action, and I’m confident appropriate changes will be made as the legislative process continues.”

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