Google may be preparing to launch its Google Music service in the UK next week, but the company is coming under sustained fire from rightsholders again for its anti-piracy policies.
Music, book publishing and software industry bodies are criticising Google for the way it’s implementing its promised demotions of piracy sites in its search listings.
“Google said it would stop putting the worst pirate sites at the top of search results. Google’s transparency report shows they know clearly which are most infringing domains. Yet three months into the much-vaunted algorithm change, many of these illegal sites are still dominating search results for music downloads,” says BPI boss Geoff Taylor.
The problem for Google is that these complaints are seemingly finding ears within the British government, with The Guardian reporting that the department for culture, media and sport is reviewing Google’s promises, and will “consider our options” on whether legislation is required to force its hand.
Unsurprisingly, Google is fighting its corner. “We continue to work closely with the industry to protect rights holders and their material,” says a spokesperson.
“Sites with high numbers of removal notices are now more likely to appear lower in our results, we’ve made it easier to report pirated material and now take down more than seven million infringing links per month.”
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…
RT @MusicAlly: British creative industries come out swinging against Google: http://t.co/QnfYOWMk