Google is looking to fight piracy with links to legitimate websites when someone searches for an illegal site, now that is if they want to pay to play. They are also playing around with the auto-complete, they will demote the predictions that link to illegal sites.
Stephanie Mlot covered the story for PC Mag
In an effort to fight piracy, Google is testing new ad and search-result formats to help users find legitimate sources of media.
In addition to removing sites that traffic in pirated content from search results, Google will add new ad slots on its returns that promote authorized alternatives, like Spotify or Beats Music.
Within the existing right-hand panel that appears alongside a search for movies, musicians, or albums, Google is testing new ways to surface legitimate content, Google said in a recent piracy report.
Now here is what a UK music trade group had to say in the article:
There is a catch: Those companies will have to pay to have their links featured in the panel.
U.K.-based music trade group BPI welcomes most of Google’s changes, but told the BBC that it doesn’t believe sites should have to pay for placement.“There should be no cost when it comes to serving consumers with results for legal services,” a spokesman told the British news site. Instead, BPI is urging Google to promote legal services above illegal ones by using “appropriate weighting applied fairly and equally across services.”
Read the full story and see some example images on PC Mag
