Republican bill would order ISPs, DNS providers, and VPNs to block piracy sites

House Republican Darrell Issa has put forth a bill that mandates Internet service providers, domain name resolution services, and virtual private networks to impede access to international piracy websites. Issa's legislation aims to facilitate copyright owners in procuring judicial injunctions that would compel these network operators to block access to pirated materials.

The congressman, who will step down from his position in the House at the conclusion of the current term, joins a roster of Republican and Democratic politicians who have advocated for a site-blocking initiative long pushed by the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Issa introduced the bill this week, following his announcement in a June 30 hearing that he intended to propose site-blocking legislation.

Despite the effectiveness of the notice-and-takedown procedure under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which leads to the removal of numerous copyright infringement listings daily, entitlement holders have expressed concerns regarding the promptness of the process. In response to this concern, Issa inquired, "Can we achieve this speed of sound?

Can we attain it at the speed of light? More crucially, in a 45-minute or potentially less timeframe, can we act swiftly enough to make such illicit activities unprofitable for those who establish clandestine enterprises?"