With a simple search in engines like Google and Bing, you can get access to numerous websites offering content uploaded by users, including music and movies. And although this makes it extremely easy for most of us to enjoy the songs we love, it also involves a great deal of online piracy, causing a lot of harm to copyright holders. That is why; back in 1998 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed, in an attempt to battle online piracy through the "notice and takedown" system, eliminating copyright-infringing content. However, the system simply doesn't work right anymore.

<strong>The DMCA no Longer Works</strong>

The DMCA was designed to provide protection for copyright holders, give immunity to service providers, in case their users are engaged in copyright violation, but at the same time not to restrict online speech. And although all this sound good, the implementation of these measures is not adequate. According to Section 512 of the DMCA, copyright holders can give a notice to service providers, should they find a copyright violating content, and the provider is safe as long as it promptly removes or disables access to the content.

<strong>The Environment is Different</strong>

The way the Internet is set nowadays; infringing content is even encouraged, as it generates a lot of website traffic, leading to revenues from ads. Websites like YouTube and Vimeo have a vast number of users who unfortunately, upload a lot of music and video content in violation with the copyright laws. <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/279179-copyright-notice-and-takedown-system-needs-fixing">According to the Hill</a>, copyright holders have sent notices for more than 17 million copyright-violating contents in the past 4 years. Moreover, copyright holders experience problems receiving takedowns due to the various judicial interpretations of the DMCY by various courts. Some demand from holders to administer a notice and identification for every page that has violated their copyrights, but infringers simply change the pages addressed and repost content.

<strong>What must be done?</strong>

Because of all the above, the US Copyright Office has initiated a series of meetings this year, in order to review Section 512, which could motivate either stakeholders or the Congress to analyze flaws and weaknesses in the system and improve it themselves. According to the Intellectual Property Clause in the Constitution, the Congress can "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Rights to their Writings". Revision and improvement of the "notice and takedown" are a must, if we want to address the flaws in the system and adapt the Internet to the digital realities we face today.