The USA’s proposed COVID-19 relief bill – bizarrely – features a number of measures that could hit games influencers pretty hard.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, an amendment from the House of Representatives to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 would make it illegal for someone to broadcast copyrighted work. This comes with the penalty of a 10-year prison sentence for a second offence.
The section of the bill in question reads: “It shall be unlawful for a person to willfully, and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain, offer or provide to the public a digital transmission service that- (1) is primarily designed or provided for the purpose of publicly performing works protected under title 17 by means of a digital transmission without the authority of the copyright owner or the law; (2) has no commercially significant purpose or use other than to publicly perform works protected under title 17 by means of a digital transmission without the authority of the copyright owner or the law; or (3) is intentionally marketed by or at the direction of that person to promote its use in publicly performing works protected under title 17 by means of a digital transmission without the authority of the copyright owner or the law.”
This legislation was previously proposed by Republican senator for North Carolina, Thom Tillis. It also includes measures to create a Copyright Claims Board focused on small claims.
For the full story head over to PCGamesInsider.biz.
PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor
Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.
