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Copyright Alliance Backs DEFEND IP Act to Block Foreign Piracy Sites

A bipartisan bill introduced in both chambers would let U.S. courts order no-fault blocking of foreign piracy sites. The Copyright Alliance says nearly 60 countries already do this.

The Publishing Times Editorial Desk · September 26, 2026 · 2 min read

Copyright Alliance Backs DEFEND IP Act to Block Foreign Piracy Sites

What is the DEFEND IP Act? It is a bipartisan bill that, according to the Copyright Alliance, would amend the Copyright Act to allow "no-fault judicial blocking orders against foreign piracy sites." The full name is the Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property Act. It has been introduced in the House as H.R. 10575 and in the Senate as S. 5529.

Who introduced it

The Copyright Alliance lists these sponsors:

  • House: Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Ben Cline (R-VA)
  • Senate: Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Adam Schiff (D-CA)

What the Copyright Alliance says

In a statement issued September 25, 2026, Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid thanked the sponsors for legislation that he said would give creators "the tools necessary to combat foreign-based commercial scale piracy websites and online services."

The statement makes three main arguments:

  • Foreign-based piracy sites and services have become "some of the most egregious online infringers," harming copyright owners and creators as well as the U.S. economy, jobs and trade. The statement adds that these sites also put the people who visit them at risk.
  • Because the operators are outside the reach of U.S. federal courts, copyright owners "have not been able to stop them."
  • "Nearly 60 countries" have put similar blocking measures in place, and passing the bill "would finally put the U.S. in lock step with the rest of the globe."

Why authors should watch it

Authors whose books turn up on pirate sites run from abroad face the problem the Copyright Alliance describes: U.S. federal courts can't reach the operators. As the Alliance describes it, the bill would give rights holders a court process for having such sites blocked.

What happens next

Introduction is only the first step. To become law, the bill has to pass both the House and the Senate and be signed by the President. The Copyright Alliance says it will work with the sponsors and "other policymakers and stakeholders" to get it passed. The statement does not give the bill's full text or details of how a blocking order would work, so check the details once the text is published before drawing conclusions.

Sources