Google has announced that it has made 4 new changes to its instant search feature to combat the growing abuse of search by the media pirates. This follows lobbying by the music industry.
The changes include remove specific words, such as Torrent, BitTorrent and free download from the autocomplete feature in Google search. However, sites that do not have copyright permission to distribute media will still appear in the search index.
It is encouraging that Google is beginning to respond to our calls to act more responsibly with regard to illegal content. However, this package of measures, while welcome, still ignores the heart of the problem – that Google search overwhelmingly directs consumers looking for music and other digital entertainment to illegal sites.” bpi.co.uk spokesperson.
The same problems occur in book and print industry and the Publishers Association have also voiced their concerns to Google.
Google Stops Adsense on Illegal Download Sites
Most sites that offer illegal downloads make their money from running Google advertising. Google has announced that although it cannot remove these site from the search engines, it can block them from displaying Google Adsense adverts. This alone could put many out of business.
Future Changes to Search Announced
“We will experiment to make authorized preview content more readily accessible in search results” – Simon Morrison
This news is exciting for media providers that provide samples. Many companies allow Amazon and other online retailers to show music samples, these samples may soon appear in search. This could make finding new music much easier.
These are good changes for the music industry, but many feel that they are not really enough. Publishers would prefer to see these sites removed from the search index completely, however Google is refusing to go that far at the moment.
Learn more at Google.com: Making Copyright Work Better Online
News Source: BBC.co.uk: Google tweaks to tackle online piracy
