U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has joined Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in introducing a bipartisan legislative framework aimed at combating foreign online piracy. The Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors (Block BEARD) Act is designed to allow American copyright owners to seek federal court orders against foreign websites that distribute stolen content.
“Tennessee’s thriving creative community must be protected from the theft of creative works by foreign criminals,” said Senator Blackburn. “Foreign piracy operations jeopardize the American creative industry through phishing, identity theft, and financial fraud, and the Block BEARD Act would protect creators by enabling them to pursue legal action in U.S. federal courts against these criminals.”
Senator Tillis emphasized the threat posed by foreign piracy sites: “Foreign piracy sites are stealing from American creators, threatening good-paying jobs, and exposing U.S. consumers to real online harms via malware, identity theft, and the like,” he said. “The Block BEARD Act gives us a smart, targeted tool to stop these criminal operations at the source without infringing on legitimate speech or due process. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan discussion to protect our creative economy and digital security and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House to address this important matter.”
According to Senator Coons, foreign websites pirating American movies, TV shows, art, and books result in significant economic losses for the United States each year. He stated: “Foreign websites pirating American movies, TV shows, art, and books steal tens of billions of dollars from the U.S. economy each year. This costs our creative community hundreds of thousands of jobs. Today, the United States takes an important step to join the many other nations around the world that have taken steps to crack down on foreign IP theft. This bipartisan legislation will give Americans the tools they need to protect their intellectual property rights, while ensuring the internet remains a vibrant forum for free speech. I look forward to working with my colleagues and with stakeholders on all sides of this issue to advance this much-needed bill.”
Senator Schiff added: “I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort to protect creators and consumers alike from foreign criminal enterprises seeking to steal our intellectual property and exploit Americans. As Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and a steadfast advocate for the creative community, I understand that robust protections are essential for innovation and economic growth in the digital age. This commonsense approach will provide the courts with the tools they need to combat foreign piracy operations and help level the playing field for American artists and creators who deserve to be fairly compensated for their work.”
The proposed Block BEARD Act would let copyright holders present evidence of harm caused by specific pirate sites before U.S. courts could order internet service providers (ISPs) to block access within America. ISPs would also be granted immunity from liability related both directly or indirectly from compliance with such orders.
The legislation contains measures intended both as public interest safeguards—protecting free expression rights as well as due process—and ensures only non-compliant sites can be targeted under existing U.S law frameworks. The approach mirrors similar laws adopted across more than 50 democratic countries globally where blocking measures have reportedly reduced online piracy while not impeding internet freedoms or infrastructure.
Supporters include major entertainment industry groups such as Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association (MPA). Mitch Glazier, Chairman & CEO of RIAA said: “We are grateful to Senators Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff for their leadership in crafting a carefully tailored proposal that empowers US federal courts to protect consumers, rightsholders, and markets from large scale foreign piracy while preserving the protections contained in the DMCA. Similar tools have been proven effective around the world over the last ten years with no harm to speech, Internet infrastructure or security, or participation online, and we strongly support this effort to create a simple, effective judicial remedy with due process in the U.S.”
Charles Rivkin—Chairman & CEO at MPA—stated: “Piracy steals hundreds of thousands of jobs from film/television industry; drains billions from US economy; puts millions at risk—the Block BEARD Act provides us safe/effective way counter danger/combat large-scale copyright infringement…With bold leadership…the Block BEARD Act will equip our nation with a tool that’s worked in dozens countries worldwide: narrow/targeted means fight worst forms foreign piracy while protecting free speech/rule law.”
