U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) has introduced a legislative proposal in collaboration with the movie industry, aiming to combat online piracy by requiring internet service providers and DNS providers to block access to foreign piracy websites. The bill, which Lofgren describes as a remedy for overseas copyright infringers without disrupting the free Internet, was developed through a year-long collaboration with the tech, film, and television industries. She expressed plans to work with Republican leaders to enact the law. The proposed law would enforce site-blocking requirements on broadband providers with at least 100,000 subscribers and DNS providers with annual revenue exceeding $100 million, while offering exemptions for services such as VPNs and encrypted DNS protocols. According to a summary of the bill, copyright owners or exclusive licensees may file petitions in U.S. District Courts to obtain preliminary orders against foreign websites or online services engaging in copyright infringement. For non-live content, the petition must demonstrate that the transmission of a work through a foreign website likely infringes on exclusive rights under U.S. law and causes irreparable harm. For live events, the petition must show that an imminent or ongoing unauthorized transmission of a live event is likely to infringe and will cause irreparable harm. After obtaining a preliminary order, copyright owners would be able to seek orders directing service providers to take measures to prevent users from accessing the targeted foreign website or online service. Judges would not be permitted to prescribe specific technical measures for blocking and may not require any action that would prevent Internet users from using virtual private networks. The Consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge criticized the bill as a ‘censorious site-blocking’ measure, describing it as a system that turns broadband providers into copyright police at the expense of American consumers. ‘Rather than tackling the issue at its source by bringing the people running overseas piracy websites to court, Congress and its allies in the entertainment industry have opted to build a sweeping infrastructure for censorship,’ said Public Knowledge Senior Policy Counsel Meredith Rose. ‘Site-blocking orders force any service provider, from residential broadband providers to global DNS resolvers, to disrupt traffic from targeted websites accused of copyright infringement. More importantly, applying blocking orders to global DNS resolvers results in global blocks. This means that one court can cut off access to a website globally, based on one individual’s filing and an expedited procedure. Blocking orders are incredibly powerful weapons, ripe for abuse, and we’ve seen the messy consequences of them being implemented in other countries.’ This proposed legislation has sparked debate over the balance between protecting intellectual property and preserving internet freedom. Advocacy groups warn that the power to issue blocking orders could be misused, leading to potential censorship and the suppression of legitimate online activity. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry sees the measure as a critical step in safeguarding their revenue and content. As the bill moves forward, the debate over its impact on internet freedom and the potential for abuse will likely remain a central point of discussion.