Eight noteworthy measures packed into massive COVID-19 relief and omnibus bill Print this article
The massive $2.5 trillion coronavirus relief and omnibus bill package includes a wide swath of measures beyond normal government spending and matters relating to the pandemic, including authorizations for new museums, creation of a national park, tax tweaks, vaping regulation, and foreign policy changes.
House lawmakers are set to vote Monday on the 5,593-page bill just hours after the bill s text became public.
In what has become a typical practice for Congress close to the end of a session, the legislation is a massive compilation of various policy measures packaged together into one bill.
A proposed law in the US could see the streaming of copyrighted material become a felony offense, potentially leading to a prison sentence.
According to Protocol, the bill currently being explored includes the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (which would see a new avenue for copyright owners to file infringement claims), the Trademark Modernization Act (which reinforces sanctions in case of trademark violation) and a felony streaming proposal.
The latter could have an important impact on content creators in the games industry. The proposal essentially draws a parallel between the rise of streaming and the rise of piracy.
It argues that illegal streaming is an offense against the right of public performance and wants the same level of felony penalties to be applied to such a violation compared to reproduction and distribution violations.