NBA, NFL and UFC want instant DMCA takedowns
Three major US sports leagues want to speed up the removal of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In a letter published and reported by TorrentFreak (via The Verge), the UFC, NBA and NFL urged the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO ) to begin the process of removing almost instantaneous illegal live streams. The organizations claim that the global sports industry loses up to $28 billion due to fans watching pirated live streams instead of paid streams.
“The widespread piracy of live sporting events is causing significant harm to our businesses,” the legal representatives of the UFC, NBA and NFL reportedly wrote in the letter. The leagues claim that online service providers often take "hours or even days" to remove infringing content, giving illegal sports streams enough time to complete the event without removal. "This is particularly detrimental to our businesses given the unique time sensitivity of live sports content."
The wording of Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is at the heart of the complaint, which states that content must be removed "promptly." The UFC, NBA, and NFL want the wording changed to "instantly or near-instantaneously" to address their revenue issues. "This would be a relatively small, non-controversial DMCA update that could be included in broader reforms being considered by Congress or could be addressed separately," the published letter reads.
The letter did not address sports fans' distaste for regional blackouts, which many viewers likely use pirated streams to circumvent.
The leagues are also asking the USPTO to consider stricter requirements for online service providers to verify users posting live streams. They call for “special verification measures,” including blocking the ability to stream from newly created accounts or those with few followers. "Some [online service providers] are already imposing measures like these, demonstrating that these measures are achievable, practical and important tools to reduce over-the-air piracy," the letter reads.
Sending a letter is the first step in communicating intent, but the UFC, NBA, and NFL will likely have a long way to go if they want to change the DMCA. The law, signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1998, has been the subject of many calls for change over the following decades – both from media companies wanting tougher measures and users who believe it gives too much power to copyright holders. Changing it would require Congress to pass legislation revising it, which is never a quick or easy process.
Three major US sports leagues want to speed up the removal of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In a letter published and reported by TorrentFreak (via The Verge), the UFC, NBA and NFL urged the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO ) to begin the process of removing almost instantaneous illegal live streams. The organizations claim that the global sports industry loses up to $28 billion due to fans watching pirated live streams instead of paid streams.
“The widespread piracy of live sporting events is causing significant harm to our businesses,” the legal representatives of the UFC, NBA and NFL reportedly wrote in the letter. The leagues claim that online service providers often take "hours or even days" to remove infringing content, giving illegal sports streams enough time to complete the event without removal. "This is particularly detrimental to our businesses given the unique time sensitivity of live sports content."
The wording of Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is at the heart of the complaint, which states that content must be removed "promptly." The UFC, NBA, and NFL want the wording changed to "instantly or near-instantaneously" to address their revenue issues. "This would be a relatively small, non-controversial DMCA update that could be included in broader reforms being considered by Congress or could be addressed separately," the published letter reads.
The letter did not address sports fans' distaste for regional blackouts, which many viewers likely use pirated streams to circumvent.
The leagues are also asking the USPTO to consider stricter requirements for online service providers to verify users posting live streams. They call for “special verification measures,” including blocking the ability to stream from newly created accounts or those with few followers. "Some [online service providers] are already imposing measures like these, demonstrating that these measures are achievable, practical and important tools to reduce over-the-air piracy," the letter reads.
Sending a letter is the first step in communicating intent, but the UFC, NBA, and NFL will likely have a long way to go if they want to change the DMCA. The law, signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1998, has been the subject of many calls for change over the following decades – both from media companies wanting tougher measures and users who believe it gives too much power to copyright holders. Changing it would require Congress to pass legislation revising it, which is never a quick or easy process.
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