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The US Senate\u2019s Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property is looking for better ways to tackle the ever-present threat of online piracy.<\/p>\nThe US Senate\u2019s Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property is looking for better ways to tackle the ever-present threat of online piracy.<\/p>\n
Specifically, it\u2019s working with various stakeholders to see if the DMCA can be improved<\/a> to better suit today\u2019s online environment.<\/p>\n The effort was announced by Senator Thom Tillis last year, who organized several hearings on the matter in recent months. The Subcommittee invited roughly 50 witnesses to share their views. This included copyright industry representatives, legal scholars, as well as digital rights experts.<\/p>\n The lawmakers questioned these experts on several possible solutions, including site blocking<\/a>. Next month these hearings will come to an end. The last topic of discussion is \u2018voluntary agreements\u2019 and to see what major online services can do, Senator Tillis invited key players including Facebook and Twitter.<\/p>\n These online platforms are familiar with the halls of the US Congress as they are regularly asked to testify. Just last week, Facebook\u2019s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter\u2019s Jack Dorsey were questioned on censorship and suppression during the past election<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, it turns out that Twitter is not planning to make someone available for the upcoming hearing on voluntary anti-piracy initiatives. Despite repeated requests from Tillis\u2019 staff over the past months, the social media platform declined to attend. <\/p>\n This decision came as a massive disappointment to Senator Tillis, who shared his dismay in a letter to Twitter\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n \u201cI was incredibly disappointed to learn that Twitter has declined my invitation to send a witness to my subcommittee\u2019s December 15 hearing on the role of voluntary agreements and technological measures in addressing copyright piracy online.<\/p>\n \u201cFor this final hearing, it is critical that the subcommittee hear about how key online platforms combat piracy via voluntary agreements and technological measures,\u201d Tillis says.<\/p>\n The senator says that Twitter\u2019s position contrasts that of Facebook, as Mark Zuckerberg promised to make a witness available. This rejection is problematic, he adds, suggesting that the company\u2019s anti-piracy efforts are below par.<\/p>\n \u201cTwitter has been less engaged in working with copyright owners on voluntary measures and technological tools, and now has rebuffed my request to testify. The only reasonable conclusion one can draw from your actions is that Twitter simply does not take copyright piracy seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of sending someone to the hearing, Senator Tillis now requests Twitter\u2019s CEO to answer a series of questions in writing. And if those remain unanswered, he threatens to find another way to compel the social media platform to testify.<\/p>\n The letter makes it clear that the senator is not happy with Twitter\u2019s refusal to attend the hearing. It also suggests that Twitter\u2019s anti-piracy policies are lacking, a sentiment that\u2019s also reflected in the questions being asked. <\/p>\n For example, Twitter is accused of refusing to negotiate licenses or business agreements with record labels and being \u201cslow to respond to copyright infringement\u201d. This stands in contrast to other social media companies that \u201chave done the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Senator Tillis adds that Twitter \u201ccontinues to host and permit rampant infringement of music files on its platform\u201d and that it hasn\u2019t taken any \u201cmeaningful steps to address the scale of the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n These are all statements that preface questions about Twitter\u2019s policies and anti-piracy efforts. For example, the company is asked how many DMCA notices it has received, what steps it has taken to address piracy, and whether it is trying to license the music that\u2019s used on the platform. <\/p>\n Tillis also wants to know how Twitter views voluntary agreements and whether it\u2019s engaged in any, how repeat infringers are dealt with, and if it has taken any steps to proactively take down pirated content and to resolve its issues with the RIAA.<\/p>\n The questions also touch on the subject of manual moderation. The letter mentions that Twitter has gone to great lengths to flag, disclaim, and censor content from conservatives and asked whether these same \u2018human\u2019 moderators are also used to tackle online piracy.<\/p>\n The language is quite hostile and one doesn\u2019t have to read between the lines to conclude that Twitter hasn\u2019t made itself loved in the halls of Congress, not with Senator Tillis at least. <\/p>\n That sentiment is reflected throughout the questions and comes back at the end as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that you will respond by December 4 and demonstrate to my colleagues and I that you do, in fact, take copyright piracy seriously,\u201d Senator Tillis concludes.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n A copy of the full letter, courtesy of MTP<\/a>, is available here<\/a><\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nImproving the DMCA<\/h2>\n
Twitter Refuses to Testify at Hearing<\/h2>\n
\u2018Twitter Doesn\u2019t Take the Piracy Problem Seriously\u2019<\/h2>\n
Senator Tillis Questions Twitter<\/h2>\n
Rampant Infringement<\/h2>\n
Censoring Conservatives<\/h2>\n