Google Introduce Measures To Combat Internet Piracy

Google has announced that it will implement changes to its search service in an attempt to combat online piracy. The changes which will include removal of suggestive terms associated with piracy from Google Instant’s auto-complete feature, follows lobbying by the music industry. Overall, the package comes in four measures and will be gradually introduced over the next few months. The anti-piracy measures include a commitment to prevent Google  ads from being displayed on Websites that host illegal contents such as music and video thereby preventing their owners from generating Google-associated income from them.

Furthermore, Google will introduce additional measures that will guarantee that Websites that use its own services to host illegal content, are taken down within 24 hours of a request from original rights holders whilst also making it easier to file counter claims. However, the changes will not stop Websites that host illegal copyright materials from appearing in Google’s search engine results.

While Google’s actions for example, making short previews of legal materials more prominent in search results, is generally seen as a step in the right direction, the music industry still wants the search engine to go a step further by imposing an automatic penalty on sites that host illegal material.

Read Google’s press release in full here

Talking Point

Do you think Google’s announcement goes far enough in addressing concerns about online piracy?