Senate Bill Calls For Tougher Penalties For Unlawful Streaming Of Content

Washington D.C., DC (Top40 Charts/ RIAA) Under current law, illegal uploading and downloading of protected works is already a felony but not streaming. The bill follows upon the recommendations of U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel who in March outlined several steps Congress should take to improve intellectual property protection in the America.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) offered the following statement from its Executive Vice President, Public Policy and Industry Relations, Mitch Glazier on the legislation:

"On behalf of a music community that has lost thousands of jobs to piracy, we are frustratingly familiar with the damaging impact of online theft," said Bainwol. "As the music industry continues its transition from selling CDs to providing fans convenient access to a breadth of legal music online, laws that provide effective enforcement against new and developing forms of content theft are essential to the health of our business.

"We thank and applaud Senators Klobuchar, Cornyn and Coons for their important work on S. 978 and we look forward to working with Senate and House members as they continue to develop effective legislation that provides enforcement against the piracy that robs the creative community and American economy of jobs, innovation and compensation."