 |
| Digital Piracy. Photo: E+/Getty Creative |
Google and Bing have agreed to a 'voluntary code
of practice' with the aim of limiting the ability of users to visit sites with
infringing content once notified from the rights holders. Under this novel UK
code, users will experience difficulty in searching for 'pirated films, music
and illegally streamed live football matches'. The goal is to demote illegal
sites and direct users who search for content to bona fide providers instead.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
reportedly assisted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport campaigned
for the introduction of the Code. OFCOM also supported discussions on
proposals on the manner of presenting search results to users and possible
techniques and metrics to discourage UK consumers from accessing illegal
content. It is hoped that the agreement will work alongside other 'anti-piracy
measures against online infringement such as court ordered site blocking,
working with brands to reduce advertising on illegal sites and the Get it Right
From A Genuine Site consumer education campaign, which encourages fans to
value the creative process and directs them to legal sources of content.' (via The
Inquirer)
Many stakeholders have expressed optimism on the
code and are looking forward to its implementation from 1 June 2017. Stan
McCoy, of the Motion Picture Association in Europe, said: “Pirate websites
are currently much too easy to find via search, so we appreciate the parties’
willingness to try to improve that situation...We look forward to working on
this initiative alongside many other approaches to fighting online piracy, such
as the Get it Right campaign that aims to help educate consumers about the many
ways to enjoy film and television content legally and at the time of their
choosing.” Geoff Taylor, chief executive of BPI added that "The
code will not be a silver bullet fix, but it will mean that illegal sites are
demoted more quickly from search results and that fans searching for music are
more likely to find a fair site.” (via The
Guardian)
Meanwhile,
it has been reported that the UK government has
shelved plans to enforce an 'anti-piracy' law on search engines based on the
agreed code. The government has removed an anti-piracy amendment
made to the Digital Economy Bill that would have forced the search firms
to take action on 'pirated' content. The code won't be applicable to all
search services, especially those not covered by English law and if it fails to
succeed, the government may likely go back to the drawing board. The IPO will
observe Google and Bing's compliance over the next few months and make
additional recommendations if deemed necessary.
In recent debates on the
Digital Economy Bill in the House of Lords, Baroness Peta Buscombe stated:
"Since the idea was last discussed in [parliament], Intellectual
Property Office officials have chaired a further round-table meeting between
search engines and representatives of the creative industries...While there are
still elements of detail to be settled, the group is now agreed on the key
content of the code and I expect an agreement to be reached very soon. All
parties have also agreed that the code should take effect, and the targets in
it be reached, by 1 June this year."
It would be interesting to see
how the implementation of the code plays out and how effective it is in
addressing the issue of infringement and digital piracy. If it proves
successful, the measures can possibly be adopted in other countries or regions
to curb this global issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment