New COVID-19 relief package includes bill barring illegal streaming

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package includes a specific bill that would punish streamers who will use illegal streaming services to earn lots of money.
• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC.) introduced the bill called “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act” as the country is losing nearly $30 billion in profits because of illegal streaming.
• President Donald Trump is set to sign the new stimulus plan this week.

A specific provision incorporated in the new COVID-19 stimulus package would impose serious punishment on streamers who pirate massive amounts of copyright content.

Introduced earlier this month by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC.), the “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act” would target “commercial, for-profit streaming piracy services” that make profits through illegal streaming of copyrighted works.

The law does not apply to individuals who typically use unlicensed streaming services or people “who access pirated streams or unwittingly stream unauthorized copies of copyrighted works.”

According to Tillis, this illegal practice has taken almost $30 billion in revenues.

“This commonsense legislation was drafted with the input of creators, user groups, and technology companies and is narrowly targeted so that only criminal organizations are punished and that no individual streamer has to worry about the fear of prosecution,” he wrote in a statement.

If prosecuted, the offender will be jailed for a maximum of 10 years. He or she could also be fined.

The measure was endorsed by five Democrat senators and four GOPs. It was also backed by a consumer advocacy group called Public Knowledge, who noted that the bill was “narrowly tailored” to absolved regular netizens.

“We appreciate Senator Tillis’ decision to release the text of his proposal, and his leadership in bringing in consumer groups to the table, listening to our concerns, and working to prevent risk to end-users and legitimate streamers and streaming platforms,” Public Knowledge’s senior policy counsel Meredith Rose said in a statement.”

The proposal was also commended by the National Association of Broadcasters, expressing its strong support for its passage.

In the coming days, President Donald Trump is expected to sign the $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package which involved the “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act.”

Source: CNN