Search engine giant Google announced on Monday that it had updated its anti-piracy campaign across its services, a step that drew praise from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).
Issa was the author of H.R. 3782, or the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act, to combat online piracy and counterfeiting. The bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee while a complementary Senate bill has been referred to the Finance Committee.
“I am strongly encouraged by this voluntary private sector initiative to discourage piracy and look forward to the continued cooperation of all parties to protect intellectual content,” Issa said.
Changes to Google’s search engine algorithm have resulted in new ways to highlight legitimate sources of content when consumers use search terms – such as “download,” “free” or “watch” — that indicate they are looking for pirated content. Google will also provide legitimate sources for movies and music on it right-hand panel when consumers search for an artist or title.
Issa called it “an unprecedented step.”
“This announcement represents a milestone in the private sector, as cooperation between technology companies and content creators help ensure that intellectual property is protected,” he said. “Users will now be able to readily identify and access legal content like music and movies while avoiding pirated works from rogue sites in China and Russia.”