Blackburn, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Protect U.S. Internet Users From Foreign Online Piracy

Blackburn, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Protect U.S. Internet Users From Foreign Online Piracy October 21, 2026 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property (DEFEND IP) Act , bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would allow U.S. courts to direct internet service providers to block specifically identified foreign criminals and the piracy sites they operate from gaining access to U.S. internet users. Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. “Tennessee’s thriving creative community must be protected from the theft of creative works by foreign criminals,” said Senator Blackburn. “Foreign piracy operations threaten the American creative industry through phishing, identity theft, and financial fraud, and our DEFEND IP Act would protect creators by allowing them to pursue these criminals in U.S. federal courts.” “Foreign piracy continues to threaten American creators, putting well-paying jobs at risk, while exposing consumers to malware, identity theft, and other serious online harms,” said Senator Tillis . “The DEFEND IP Act provides a targeted, commonsense tool to shut down these foreign, criminal operations at the source while protecting lawful speech and due process. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to safeguard America’s creative economy and strengthen digital security, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to counter these threats.” “Pirating American movies, TV shows, art, and books by foreign websites steals tens of billions of dollars from the U.S. economy each year, costing our creative community hundreds of thousands of jobs,” said Senator Coons . “This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will give American creators the tools they need to protect their intellectual property rights, while ensuring the internet remains a vibrant forum for free speech.” BACKGROUND The DEFEND IP Act would only target foreign-operated websites dedicated to piracy, require a showing of harm and ongoing monitoring, hold service providers harmless for implementing orders, and safeguard legitimate websites and free expression. This legislation was originally introduced as a discussion draft of the Block BEARD Act of 2025 . Click here for bill text. https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/10/blackburn-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-bicameral-legislation-to-protect-u-s-internet-users-from-foreign-online-piracy