The UK government is claiming to have brokered a “landmark deal” which will see the major search engines demote results for sites containing pirated content.
Members of the creative industries, Microsoft and Google and the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) agreed on a Voluntary Code of Practice which will remove offending links from the first page of search results.
The code was agreed earlier this month, with the aim to have it up and running by June, according to the IPO.
“Search engines play a vital role in helping consumers discover content online. Their relationship with our world leading creative industries needs to be collaborative,” said universities, science, research and innovation minister, Jo Johnson. “Consumers are increasingly heading online for music, films, e-books, and a wide variety of other content. It is essential that they are presented with links to legitimate websites and services, not provided with links to pirate sites”
There was no statement on the official government release from Google or Microsoft, hinting that this was very much an IPO and creative industries-led move.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) was quick to big-up the agreement, claiming it to be a “first-of-its-kind” initiative. It said the code would run alongside existing anti-piracy efforts such as consumer education, reducing advertising on pirate sites and court-ordered site blocking.
For its part, Google released a fairly anodyne statement, claiming it has been fighting piracy for many years.
“We remain committed to tackling this issue and look forward to further partnership with rights holders,” it said.
In fact, digital piracy levels in the UK are pretty low relative to some countries. An IPO report out last year estimated that just 15% of UK netizens consumed at least one piece of illegal content from March-May. That’s down from 17% in 2013.
Rob Hodgkinson, COO of streaming service TV Player, argued that product innovation is key to combating digital piracy.
“We need to develop and provide services that mean people no longer have the want or need for illegal content. It’s about user experience,” he added.
“People need to be able to stream in HD, record programs and watch on-demand and live TV services all on one platform in an easy and functional way that means people no longer opt for buggy, illegal services.”