Hollywood and Record Industry Ask Congress for Help Policing Global Piracy
Major film studios and record labels have gone before Congress to request more protection against foreign websites that profit from counterfeit and bootlegged products. The Senate's Judiciary Committee responded by proposing a new bill, referred to as (S968). The proposed bill would force online advertisers, e-billing companies and search engines to stop supporting sites found to be "dedicated" to copyright or trademark infringement.
Because the internet is global, piracy-sites can operate without scrutiny from countries that either choose to turn a blind eye, or refuse to recognize U.S. Copyright and Trademark rights. Senate Bill 968 would allow federal agents to direct U.S. companies that direct traffic, process payments, and serve advertisements online to end their support. However, federal court must first determine if a website is dedicated to infringing activities. In addition, Copyright and other mark owners would be able to seek injunctive relief against those U.S. companies that do not comply.
Once a site is deemed "dedicated" to infringing, the enforcement measure would make companies that operate name servers to re-direct online users away from it. However, this measure will not stop people from going to the site, because they are accessible through numerical addresses and foreign domain servers.
The concept behind SB 968 has been used to crack down on online-gambling websites. Yet some industry insiders are concerned that the bill, if enacted, could create an undue restraint on commerce, as well as undermine measures to create a more reliable and secure domain-name system.
To read more on this article, visit Policing the Internet.
For more information on intellectual property matters, such as trademark and copyright infringement, please contact Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A., a full service law firm with offices in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach.
