Coming changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Daily Journal (July 1, 2020)

The 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), was designed to protect copyright owners from unauthorized use of their works on the internet and to protect online service providers (OSPs) from legal responsibility for their users’ infringing acts.  Under DMCA’s “safe harbor” provision, OSP’s are immune from such liability so long as they implement certain steps designed to remove infringing materials from their sites.  In response to calls from copyright owners, especially for photo, music, and film products, congress is about to amend the act to require OSPs to take additional steps to prevent circulation of infringing works on the sites they service.