Google penalizes piracy via search engine ranking
In an effort to direct web traffic toward sites with legitimate content, Google launched a new policy this week that will punish copyright infringers with less-than-desired search rankings.
The policy dictates that websites with a high number of valid copyright-removal notices will be pushed down on Google's search results, Amit Singhal, Google's senior vice president of engineering, said in a blog post on the policy Friday.
“This ranking change should help users find legitimate, quality sources of content more easily,” Singhal wrote. Music, television shows and other media downloaded or streamed by online users are a prime example of popular content that would be vetted through Google's updated ranking policy.
