The Motion Picture Association of America has partnered with offshore domain name registrar Radix to help reduce online piracy, they announced on Friday.
Radix is calling the MPAA a “Trusted Notifier” when the association informs the domain registry of “large scale pirate websites that are registered in domain extensions operated by Radix,” including .online, .tech, .space, .website, .press, .host and .site.
This agreement will impose strict standards for such referrals, meaning that the MPAA must offer proof of clear and “pervasive copyright infringement,” and evidence that the industry group has first attempted to contact the registrar and hosting platforms to seek resolution.
This is the first time the MPAA has struck such a deal with a registry outside the U.S.
Under the agreement, Radix will work with other registry partners to contact a given website operator to seek evidence of copyright infringement. Should it determine the website is engaged in illegal activity, violating Radix’s Acceptable Use and Anti-Abuse Policy, the registrar may put the website on hold or suspend it.
“Our aim is to evolve our domain extensions to a point where Internet users feel a greater sense of security when they see a URL that ends with them,” said Sandeep Ramchandani, business head of Radix. “We’re hopeful that our joint actions will not only protect creators from having their works stolen, but also protect Internet users from exposure to malware that is commonly found on sites run by unlicensed operators.”
Steven Fabrizio, the MPAA’s senior executive vice president and global general counsel, added, “This agreement demonstrates that tech and content creators can work together on voluntary initiatives to help ensure vibrant, legal digital marketplaces that benefit all members of the digital ecosystem. While this agreement is geared to film and television piracy, similar agreements could address other illegal activity online. Hopefully, it can become a model to be used with other players in the domain name ecosystem and Internet intermediaries.”