Senators Push New Bill to Block Foreign Piracy Sites

Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate are pushing a new initiative to combat online piracy, with the Block BEARD Act gaining bipartisan support. This proposed legislation would empower copyright holders to request court orders that block access to foreign piracy websites through Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The goal is to protect U.S. content creators from international digital piracy, which has long evaded legal accountability. The focus keyword "foreign piracy sites" fits naturally into this growing debate around internet regulation and digital rights enforcement.

How the Block BEARD Act Targets Foreign Piracy Sites

The Block BEARD (Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors) Act gives copyright holders a legal path to stop the spread of copyrighted materials on foreign piracy sites. If a rights holder identifies infringement on a website based outside the U.S., they can petition a federal court to label the platform as a piracy hub. Courts would evaluate the intent behind the site—whether it was “primarily designed” for distributing copyrighted materials—and the potential harm to the original content owner. If approved, courts could then require ISPs to block user access to that specific domain within the United States.

Legal Process and Rights of Site Owners

Unlike past piracy enforcement proposals, the Block BEARD Act includes a mechanism for website owners to contest the piracy designation. Once a site is flagged as a foreign piracy site, the owner has a right to respond in court before the block is enforced. This is meant to create a fairer legal process while still enabling swift action against sites that profit from unauthorized content distribution. Lawmakers hope this method strikes a better balance between intellectual property protection and free internet use than past efforts, which drew significant backlash.

Why This Renewed Push Matters in 2025

This isn't the first time the U.S. has tried to legislate against foreign piracy sites, but the Block BEARD Act reflects renewed urgency amid the growing global market for pirated digital content. With streaming platforms, games, and media being widely shared across borders, copyright holders say current laws fall short in stopping foreign offenders. By targeting access at the ISP level, the Senate hopes to finally close a loophole exploited for years. Still, critics warn that aggressive blocking could lead to broader internet censorship concerns, echoing the failed SOPA and PIPA bills from the early 2010s.