Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) have introduced a bipartisan discussion draft of the Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors (Block BEARD) Act of 2025. The legislation aims to give copyright owners the ability to seek U.S. federal court action against foreign online piracy operations that make stolen content available 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,” said Senator Tillis. “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.”
Senator Coons highlighted the economic impact of piracy, stating: “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.”
“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 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.”
Mitch Glazier, Chairman and CEO of Recording Industry Association of America, commented: “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 and CEO of Motion Picture Association said: “Piracy steals hundreds of thousands of jobs from the film and television industry, drains billions from the U.S. economy, and puts millions of American consumers at risk – and the Block BEARD Act will provide us with a safe and effective way to counter this danger and combat large-scale copyright infringement. With bold leadership from Senators Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff, the Block BEARD Act will equip our nation with a tool that’s worked in dozens of countries worldwide: a narrow, targeted means to fight the worst forms of foreign piracy while protecting free speech and the rule of law.”
The proposed legislation would allow copyright owners who can show evidence of specific harm caused by dedicated foreign digital piracy sites—and demonstrate their criminal nature—to seek relief through U.S. federal courts. Courts could then direct internet service providers (ISPs) to block access within America while providing ISPs immunity from liability related both directly or indirectly resulting from such actions.
The act includes safeguards designed not only for free expression but also due process as well as protection for legitimate online services compliant under current law; its framework is modeled after approaches used successfully by more than 50 democratic countries globally.
Thom Tillis previously won election victories against Cal Cunningham in 2020—receiving 48.7% compared with Cunningham’s 46.9%—and Kay Hagan in 2014—with 48.8% over Hagan’s 47.3%.
The full text of Block BEARD Act is available HERE.
