ISBA’s Reaction to Google’s Online Piracy Crackdown

According to a recent article in The Drum Google is stepping up its efforts to cut out online piracy.

It has made changes to its algorithm to make sure some of the most notorious piracy sites are less likely to appear high in the results when someone searches for music, films or other copyrighted content. The idea is that Google will make sure legal sites appear at top of the pile albeit in the form of adverts – yes, that’s right, content providers will have to pay to appear there.

It is that last bit that’s got the ISBA riled.

The ISBA’s director of media and advertising, Bob Wootton commented:

“This is a step in the right direction, but with Google seeking to profit directly by ‘being part of the solution’ spoils the sentiment and leaves a bitter after-taste.

“The search engine’s solution clearly disadvantages legal sites. The fight against online piracy is of course welcomed by ISBA, but trying to make a profit out of it is surely not the way to go.”

You can read Google’s full about the measures taken here.

Is this a good thing?

You can’t deny that Google’s moving in  the right direction, but is their solution really the best?

Certainly for their bottom line it is, but what about the consumer?

Will this levy have a knock on effect to the end consumer, effectively driving more people to the piracy sites therefore compounding the problem?

What are your thoughts on this issue? Leave a comment below to have your say.