Search firms face pirating threat

The Government has warned search giants to stop linking to illegal websites or risk the threat of new legislation, claiming they must “step up and show willing”.
In a speech during the annual general meeting of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) – one of the biggest pro-copyright lobbies in the UK – new Culture Secretary Sajid Javid stated that search engines were not doing enough.
Despite ripping down illegal sites when told to do so by the authorities, search engines claim they are not responsible for the content they carry, merely indexing pages and returning results for search terms. If some results are illegal or unlawful, it is up to relevant authorities to tell them.
But governments and pro-copyright lobbyists argue that by providing access to such sites, the search engines are jointly culpable and must work to remove infringing material from their databases or be held accountable.
“That’s why Vince Cable and I have written to Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, asking them to work with you to stop search results sending people to illegal sites,” Javid warned. “And let me be perfectly clear: if we don’t see real progress, we will be looking at a legislative approach.”
Javid also confirmed that the Government has allocated £2.5m in public funds to support the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), which runs a list of allegedly infringing websites.
The list identifies sites that deliberately and consistently breach copyright, so brand owners can avoid advertising on them. A pilot scheme saw a 12% drop in advertising from major household brands, the kind of big names that lend legitimacy to illegal sites.
Javid added: “It’s a small first step. But over time the list, along with action taken by payment facilitators, will provide a valuable tool for making copyright infringement a much less lucrative business.”

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