As the entire country is awaiting their portion of the stimulus relief package that was proposed earlier this week, Congress has passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act Of 2021, which inconspicuously includes a clause that makes illegal streaming a felony.
According to a report from Loudwire, the same bill that explains the $900 billion stimulus package and its provisions in detail also contains legislation called The Protecting Lawful Streaming Act, which was proposed by a North Carolina Republican Senator who was seeking stiffer penalties for illegal streeaming.
Sen. Thom Tillis presented the bill earlier this month, saying that the Protective Streaming Act “would apply only to commercial, for-profit streaming piracy services. The law will not sweep in normal practices by online service providers, good faith business disputes, noncommercial activities, or in any way impact individuals who access pirated streams or unwittingly stream unauthorized copies of copyrighted works. Individuals who might use pirate streaming services will not be affected.”
If this act is passed, streaming of movies and music could carry fines and prison time that could be as much as 10 years.
