The American Copyright Protection Act of 2026 (H.R. 10364), introduced in Congress, would require internet service providers, DNS resolvers, and VPNs to block access to foreign sites hosting pirated content. Blocking orders would be court-issued and take effect within 14 to 30 days, with faster timelines allowed for live events if copyrighted material appears within 24 hours of going live. The bill's text is now public, and it explicitly targets connections 'from the United States,' but does not define that phrase with precision.
Under the proposed law, ISPs and DNS services could comply by refusing to resolve blocked domains, though the bill does not mandate a specific technique. It also does not address encryption, leaving open questions about liability when providers cannot inspect traffic. Small ISPs with fewer than 100,000 monthly users and public networks are exempt, as are root DNS and top-level domain operators.
The fuzzy geography of the internet is the main source of concern. A VPN connection may originate in the U.S., terminate in the U.S., or involve a U.S. subscriber abroad, and the bill does not clarify which scenario counts. CDNs, shared IPs, CGNAT, and multi-hop VPNs further blur the distinction between foreign and domestic. Courts in France and Spain have already forced CDNs and VPNs to comply with blocking orders, suggesting that neutrality arguments may not hold up.
At present, the bill has no sponsors, scheduled hearings, or markup, and it is one of several anti-piracy measures sitting in Congress. The source suggests that if foreign experience is any guide, broad legislation like this could produce significant unintended consequences.