Streaming Piracy Direct Threat to Content Owners, Providers, Says White House

[Atreides]

Says uses of illicit streaming devices is growing

WASHINGTON—The illegal pirating of streaming videos is a growing threat to content owners and distributors, according to the Trump administration, which has shared its annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress.

The annual report—the final one from President Donald Trump’s White House before President-Elect Joe Biden is inaugurated—takes a look at many different facets regarding intellectual property, but it was sure to make mention of the pirating of streaming content and detailed steps the administration has taken and recommends moving forward.

“Global sales and use of ISDs [illicit streaming devices] is growing and poses a direct threat to content creators, sports leagues and live performances, as well as legitimate streaming, on-demand and over-the-top media service providers,” the report reads.

The report says that the administration advocates for increased intellectual property enforcement efforts. It makes no mention, however, of the bill that was included in the COVID-19 relief package that reclassifies the act of illegally streaming content for profit from a misdemeanor to a felony. It is unclear how the timing worked out between the writing of the report and the passage of the bill.

Other efforts the administration highlighted in its report include a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Homeland Security Investigations National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center and the Motion Picture Association to develop strategies to coordinate public- and private-sector efforts to combat digital piracy. This includes HSI’s Operation Intangibles.

The full Intellectual Property Report is available to read online.