Back to the Future: Revisiting Judicial Site Blocking

At the start of 2012, a coalition of websites and online platforms staged an internet “blackout” in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). The protest, which stoked fear and panic about censorship, sank the chances of enactment of SOPA and PIPA—site-blocking legislation that prior to the protest had widespread, bipartisan support in Congress. In the 13 years since, more than 50 countries around the world have embraced and adopted no-fault injunctive relief (i.e., site blocking) as a mechanism for combating commercial-scale piracy. Panelists will discuss existing remedies for addressing piracy and whether site blocking is necessary and beneficial in the United States; how site-blocking laws work in other countries; and how site blocking might be implemented in the United States, including any First Amendment, due process, and other relevant implications.