James Delahunty
22 Sep 2013 16:57
A report this week from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) blasted search engines for failing to fight copyright infringement.
The report, titled "Understanding the Role of Search in Online Piracy", claims that 58 percent of search queries people used before viewing copyright infringing content "contain generic of title-specific keywords only." What that means is people find infringing copies of content easily without specifically requesting them with keywords.
The results of a survey it conducted show that 74 percent of respondents admitted to using search engines as a means to find pirated content.
"Search engines bear responsibility for introducing people to infringing content - even people who aren't actively looking for it," said Chris Dodd, chairman of the MPAA.
"The television and movie community is working every day to develop new and innovative ways to watch content online, and as the internet's gatekeepers, search engines share a responsibility to play a constructive role in not directing audiences to illegitimate content."
However, Internet Association president and chief executive, Michael Beckerman, has rejected the MPAA's criticism, saying the trade group just blames the Internet and technology for all of its problems.
"In fact, I would argue that the internet provides a massive opportunity for creators to reach consumers and build their audience," Beckerman said.
"MPAA fought the VCR years ago and that technology ended up being a boon to their industry. We'll see the same story repeat with the Internet."
View the MPAA report: MPAA.org (PDF)