Republican Matt Doheny says his opponent in the New York 23rd District race for Congress should drop his support for the Stop Online Piracy Act, which Doheny says would censor the Internet and undermine security.

Doheny says that his Democratic opponent, Bill Owens, was an early co-sponsor of the bill and is unapologetic about his support when asked about it, even though President Obama has said he opposes it.

“Bill Owens supported this bill at its very worst, when it applied to both foreign and domestic sites and allowed private companies broad powers to cut off funding to sites without a court order,” said Doheny. “Backlash from fellow legislators and the tech community prompted some changes, but the bill remains fatally flawed. Even President Obama gets this. Why doesn’t Bill Owens?”

The Watertown lawyer and businessman, who ran and lost opposing Owens in 2010, says the bill would hurt legitimate online commerce without actually stopping foreign-based pirates from selling copyrighted goods.

Doheny says that the government has a role in protecting intellectual property by stopping the theft or unlawful duplication of copyrighted material.

However, he said he believes that can be accomplished without hurting online commerce and changing the way Americans use the Internet.

Doheny says Rep. Darrell Issa’s Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act, still evolving, gives greater enforcement powers to the United States International Trade Commission and aims to limit rogue websites’ ability to profit from illegal activity while ensuring access to legitimate websites.

“This bill – and its companion in the Senate, the Protect IP Act – are not salvageable,” Doheny says. “We must work with the business and tech community on a new law that will both respect copyright and encourage commerce.”