Internet Policy Task Force: Criminal Upgrades for Illegal Streaming

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered an editorial introduction in the recently (July 2013) revealed Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF) report, which includes recent discussions from stakeholders, public comments, and submitted comments to other agencies.

Receiving recent media attention is the report’s recommendation to upgrade misdemeanor criminal charges for illegally streaming copyrighted works (both audio and visual) to felony charges. Currently, criminal repercussions for reproducing or distributing the same work can be a felony charge. This recommendation is backed by the current Administration and the Copyright Office, who have both called on Congress to appropriately amend the Copyright Act.

Additional items in the report regarding sound recordings include broadcasting public performances, music license reform, remix availability, the digital impact on the first sale doctrine, statutory infringement damages, examination of the DMCA’s takedown system, and the appropriate role for the government, if any, to help the private sector improve the online licensing environment.

“Together, these bureaus have worked in the IPTF to identify leading public policy and operational challenges in the digital economy,” said Pritzker. “In turn, the IPTF has developed approaches to strengthen protections for consumer data privacy, enhance cybersecurity practices, safeguard the global free flow of information and ensure balanced and meaningful protection for intellectual property.

The IPTF was launched in April 2010 by then-Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, comprising input from multiple agencies and more than a dozen listening sessions from stakeholders and hundreds of public comments, and submitted comments to other agencies.

Click here for the 105+ page report.