Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), with a bunch of other tech giants, has teamed up with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the White House to cut ad revenue to web site operators engaged in publishing pirated content.
Companies agree to co-operate
A handful of companies including AOL, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have agreed to best practices whereby they refuse to continue working with the operators involved in significant infringement and counterfeiting.
The voluntary agreement reveals that tech companies will no longer stay in business with a website after a complaint has been lodged against it by users on the grounds that the operator is engaged in publishing pirated content.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), being the most important internet ad broker, said the “best practices for ad networks to address piracy and counterfeiting” would “maintain and post policies prohibiting websites that are principally dedicated to selling counterfeit goods or engaging in copyright piracy from participating in the Ad Network’s advertising programs”.
Fred Humphries, VP of US Government Affairs at Microsoft said, “It’s been our experience that a notice-and-takedown mechanism like the one envisioned by these Best Practices can be an effective means to address online infringement.”
“An appropriate notice-and-takedown system – that requires rights holders to identify specific instances of infringement and online services to respond promptly and appropriately to such notices – can address infringement while still respecting critical values such as fair use, privacy, free speech and the freedom to innovate.”
Google to disable and block counterfeiting sites
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) revealed its last year’s record of disabling ad serving to 46,000 operators for violating policies on copyright infringement, and blocking more than 82,000 accounts responsible for infringement and counterfeiting.
“There’s always more that can be done by the industry to starve these infringing sites of advertising revenues,” Google’s Susan Molinari, vice president of public policy and government relations, said in a statement. “By working across the industry, these best practices should help reduce the financial incentives for pirate sites by cutting off their revenue supply while maintaining a healthy Internet and promoting innovation.”
