Republican Bill Would Require ISPs, DNS, VPNs to Block Piracy Sites

Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has introduced a bill that would require Internet service providers (ISPs), domain name resolution services (DNS), and virtual private network (VPN) providers to block access to foreign websites engaged in piracy.

The proposed legislation would allow copyright holders to obtain judicial blocking orders that would be served directly to network operators. This is intended to speed up the process of shutting down piracy sites compared to the current "notice-and-takedown" procedures under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Issa, who is retiring from the House at the end of the year, has previously voiced concerns about the speed and effectiveness of combating piracy sites. He cited live sports broadcasts as an example where timely removal of infringing content is difficult, allowing illegal operations to persist.

This bill represents the latest effort to establish a site-blocking regime in the United States, an approach that has seen support from lawmakers across both Republican and Democratic parties. The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has been a prominent advocate for such measures.