Lawmakers in the United States suggest legislation targeting intellectual property theft
In a joint effort to safeguard American creators and consumers from foreign criminal enterprises, a group of U.S. Senators have proposed the Block BEARD Act. This legislation aims to provide courts with effective tools to combat foreign piracy operations, leveling the playing field for American artists and creators.
The Block BEARD Act, co-sponsored by Senators Chris Coons (Democrat), Thom Tillis (Republican), Marsha Blackburn (Republican), and Adam Schiff (Democrat), is a carefully tailored proposal designed to protect consumers, rightsholders, and markets from large-scale foreign piracy.
The Act empowers copyright owners to seek U.S. federal court orders against foreign websites dedicated to digital piracy. Courts could then direct Internet service providers to block access to the identified sites, while granting those providers immunity from liability.
Senator Coons states that foreign piracy sites steal tens of billions of dollars from the U.S. economy annually and cost the creative community hundreds of thousands of jobs. Senator Schiff, a Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and a strong advocate for the creative community, supports the Act as a means to protect intellectual property rights.
Senator Tillis proposes the Block BEARD Act as a solution to combat foreign piracy, emphasizing its narrow, targeted approach that fights the worst forms of foreign piracy while protecting free speech and the rule of law. Senator Blackburn, who represents Tennessee, highlights the need to protect the state's creative community from foreign piracy, as these operations jeopardize the American creative industry through activities like phishing, identity theft, and financial fraud.
The Block BEARD Act includes strong public interest safeguards to protect free expression, due process, and legitimate online services operating in compliance with U.S. law. It mirrors successful approaches used in over 50 democratic countries to curb foreign piracy operations.
The Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association, and several US Senators, including Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff, support the Block BEARD Act. This anti-piracy legislation is intended to be a safe and effective way to counter large-scale copyright infringement, while ensuring that it stops foreign piracy operations without infringing on legitimate speech or due process.
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