Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property (DEFEND IP) Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property (DEFEND IP) Act of 2026. It allows the owners or exclusive licensees of copyrighted works to petition a U.S. district court to designate a foreign online location as a foreign digital piracy site. Once a site is designated, the petitioner can request a court order directing service providers to take reasonable measures to block U.S. users from accessing the site. Service providers include broadband providers with at least 50,000 subscribers and public domain name resolution services with annual revenue over $100,000,000. The bill provides opportunities for site operators and service providers to contest these petitions in court. It also grants service providers liability immunity for good-faith actions taken to comply with these orders.
Yes
- Scored +6
Would business owners be better off under this?
The legislation provides copyright owners and creators with legal mechanisms to petition courts to stop foreign websites from distributing stolen intellectual property.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
The bill allows broadband and domain name providers to block user access to foreign digital piracy sites, which may occasionally result in over-blocking or restricted access for consumers.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection for Creators: Under section 502A(b)(1), owners and exclusive licensees of copyrighted works can petition courts to stop foreign websites from stealing and distributing their intellectual property without permission, helping them protect their livelihoods and creative works.
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Cost Recovery for Service Providers: Under section 502A(c)(10)(A), service providers can file a motion requiring the petitioner who sought the order to pay the reasonable costs directly incurred by the service provider to comply with the order.
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Operational Flexibility for Providers: Under section 502A(d)(3), service providers are explicitly allowed to temporarily suspend compliance with an order when necessary to investigate interference, maintain network integrity, upgrade operations, or prevent security threats.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Potential Access Blockages: Under section 502A(d)(1), service providers must take reasonable measures to prevent U.S. users from accessing designated foreign digital piracy sites, which could result in users losing access to certain online locations.
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Inadvertent Over-Blocking: Under section 502A(f)(3), service providers might accidentally prevent a user from accessing a legitimate online location that is not the targeted piracy site, requiring operators of those other locations to take steps to modify or rescind the order.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — The legislation provides copyright owners and creators with legal mechanisms to petition courts to stop foreign websites from distributing stolen intellectual property.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The bill allows broadband and domain name providers to block user access to foreign digital piracy sites, which may occasionally result in over-blocking or restricted access for consumers.
- 9/24/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Ben ClineRepublican · Virginia