U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently released a discussion draft of a forthcoming proposed bill that would empower copyright owners to seek U.S. federal court orders against foreign websites dedicated to digital piracy, preventing them from making stolen content accessible to American households.
“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,” Sen. Tillis said.
“Tennessee’s thriving creative community must be protected from the theft of creative works by foreign criminals,” added Sen. Blackburn, who joined Sen. Tillis, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), and several others to unveil a discussion draft of the bipartisan Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors (Block BEARD) Act of 2025.
Specifically, the bill would require that to obtain relief, copyright holders must present evidence of specific harm and demonstrate the criminal nature of the targeted site. Courts then could direct internet service providers to block access to the identified sites, while granting those providers immunity from liability, including for claims related to the petitioner’s actions, the draft says.
“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,” Sen. Blackburn said.
Additionally, the bill includes strong public interest safeguards to protect free expression, due process, and legitimate online services operating in compliance with U.S. law, according to the discussion draft.
“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,” Sen. Tillis said. “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.”
The Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association have both endorsed the forthcoming bill.