Highlights
- Rep. Darrell Issa has introduced a new bill targeting foreign piracy sites.
- The proposal could expand court-ordered blocking across U.S. internet services.
- The legislation is already facing concerns from digital rights groups.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has introduced a bill that could allow U.S. courts to order internet service providers, DNS services, and qualifying VPNs to block foreign piracy websites. The proposed legislation targets sites primarily distributing pirated movies, anime, sports, TV shows, software, books, and other copyrighted material.
H.R. 10364, the American Copyright Protection Act of 2026, was introduced on Sep 14, 2026, and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
The proposal would apply to DNS providers, ISPs, and VPN services with at least 100K U.S. users or subscribers. Copyright owners could seek a court declaration that a website is a foreign piracy site by establishing that claim under a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, followed by a separate blocking order.
How the Proposed Piracy Blocking System Would Work
Covered providers would generally receive 14 days to object, although judges could shorten that period for time-sensitive cases involving live sports or content pirated within 24 hours of release. Root nameserver operators, top-level domain registries, and Wi-Fi networks at airports, restaurants, libraries, retailers, and similar locations would be exempt.
The bill follows Issa's June 30, 2026, hearing, where he argued that the existing DMCA notice-and-takedown system can move too slowly for live piracy.
The Motion Picture Association has pushed for U.S. site blocking since at least 2024. Earlier bipartisan proposals included Zoe Lofgren’s Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act and the 2025 BAD ART Act, introduced by Sens. Chris Coons and Thom Tillis.
Issa has also linked online piracy to terrorist and criminal networks. The MPA argues that piracy costs the U.S. creative economy billions of dollars and jobs, citing more than 50 countries with site-blocking systems.
Piracy Blocking Raises Privacy and Collateral Damage Concerns
Public Knowledge, EFF, Fight for the Future, Re, CCIA, i2Coalition, and R Street Institute argue that blocking can affect legitimate services. University of Twente researchers found 510 legitimate websites affected by Italy's Piracy Shield, with wrongly blocked sites reportedly remaining inaccessible for an average of 320 days.
Meanwhile, Spain's system has also been cited for blocking 5.8% of popular internet traffic during LaLiga matches, including Harvard and Greenpeace.
Critics warn that DNS orders could affect access beyond the U.S., while VPN requirements could conflict with privacy models. Cloudflare's dispute with Italian regulators over Piracy Shield illustrates that conflict.
The circulated bill reportedly provides up to $250K USD in compensation for wrongly affected third parties. Critics argue that small businesses and nonprofits could still face losses, with Public Knowledge citing previous disruption involving mechanics, hotels, telehealth services, retailers, and a convent.
As of mid-September 2026, the full bill text had not appeared on Congress.gov. Issa, who chairs the relevant House Judiciary subcommittee, is retiring at the end of 2026.
