Google should take a leading role to tackle online piracy, Mike Weatherley, MP and Intellectual Property (IP) adviser, has said in a new report.
The Search Engines and Piracy study states that while search engines are not a cause of online piracy, they could certainly do more work to tackle the problem.
Currently piracy is estimated to cost the creative industries £400m per year in music and film alone.
Key recommendations from the IP advisor fall under the banner of ‘education, carrot and stick’ - they include cutting off revenue sources that fund illegal sharing, placing warning marks on illegitimate websites and ensuring consumers are directed to legal sites.
Mike said: ‘Search Engines can - and must - use the resources available to them in order to safeguard the UK’s creative industries.
‘Piracy remains the biggest threat to the growth of digital commerce; if we want the UK to continue to be a leader in creativity and innovation, the UK must also be an international leader of IP rights protection.’
Rights holders, including the BPI and PRS for Music, have called on Google to do more including prioritise legal content above pirated copyright infringing content.
Visit the IP advisor’s website to access the report.
Mike will be hosting a session on his Follow the Money initiative at the IPO Respect for IP conference on Wednesday 11 June.
He is also planning to host an advertising event on the subject in Parliament on Tuesday 24 June.
The Search Engines and Piracy study states that while search engines are not a cause of online piracy, they could certainly do more work to tackle the problem.
Currently piracy is estimated to cost the creative industries £400m per year in music and film alone.
Key recommendations from the IP advisor fall under the banner of ‘education, carrot and stick’ - they include cutting off revenue sources that fund illegal sharing, placing warning marks on illegitimate websites and ensuring consumers are directed to legal sites.
Mike said: ‘Search Engines can - and must - use the resources available to them in order to safeguard the UK’s creative industries.
‘Piracy remains the biggest threat to the growth of digital commerce; if we want the UK to continue to be a leader in creativity and innovation, the UK must also be an international leader of IP rights protection.’
Rights holders, including the BPI and PRS for Music, have called on Google to do more including prioritise legal content above pirated copyright infringing content.
Visit the IP advisor’s website to access the report.
Mike will be hosting a session on his Follow the Money initiative at the IPO Respect for IP conference on Wednesday 11 June.
He is also planning to host an advertising event on the subject in Parliament on Tuesday 24 June.
