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U.S. Bill on Making Illegal Streams a Felony Detailed

New details have emerged of a United States bill to make it a felony to "perform" copyrighted works such as television series or films illegally without permission, including by streaming. The offence would "consist of 10 or more public performances by electronic means"of the work during a 180-day period. It would also apply if the "total fair market value" of equivalent licensed performances would exceed US$5,000. The penalty would be a fine or imprisonment of not more than five years.

The bill, designated S. 978 was introduced on May 12 by Senators Amy Klobuchar, John Cornyn, and Christopher Coons. At that time, Victoria Espinel of the Copyright Alliance said, “While illegal downloading and distribution is a felony, the illegal, willful, and commercial streaming of films, TV programs, and music remains only a misdemeanor.” She described the bill as being aimed at removing “unwarranted obstacles to the prosecution of websites that willfully and illegally stream valuable copyrighted works for commercial advantage or private financial gain."

Source: Ars Technica via Techdirt, Slashdot