A recent Supreme Court ruling in Cox Communications v. Sony Music has upended copyright enforcement in the U.S. The court decided that internet service providers cannot be held liable for customers who pirate content unless they actively encourage it. The decision effectively closed a major legal avenue for rights holders. This decision is prompting a swift response from Congress.
Bipartisan Piracy Site-Blocking Bill
Two lawmakers — Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) — have quietly joined forces on a unified piracy site-blocking bill. Their proposal would compel both ISPs and large DNS providers to block foreign pirate websites under court order. The inclusion of DNS providers such as Google and Cloudflare is a notable departure from most global blocking regimes. These efforts typically leave such companies untouched. Adding DNS organizations could draw significant pushback from the tech industry.
Bill Combines Two Prior Anti-Piracy Bills
The bill merges two previously separate efforts. Lofgren’s Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act was introduced in January 2025. Tillis’s Block BEARD Act was introduced in the Senate. While the two proposals were initially uncoordinated, their authors are now working in tandem. Notably, Lofgren was a vocal opponent of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in 2012. She now frames her current approach as a more carefully scoped, speech-protective alternative.
MPA and RIAA Back Proposed Anti-Piracy Effort
Major entertainment industry groups, including the RIAA and Motion Picture Association, are backing the push. A separate bill introduced by Representative Darrell Issa adds further complexity. That bill proposes specialized judges for piracy cases and allowing wrongly blocked websites to claim up to $250,000 in damages from copyright holders.
Timing adds pressure to the effort. Tillis is not seeking reelection, leaving a window until January 2027. No bill text has been made public yet, and there is speculation that it could be bundled into a larger spending package. Still, the convergence of a pivotal court ruling and renewed bipartisan momentum has given site-blocking legislation its strongest foothold in years.