If there’s one thing Google and Apple have in common, it’s their fight against online piracy. At least that’s what they always express in public. Although, according to several media outlets in Ukraine it’s also something that these two companies secretly promotes in the country.
According to reports, some of the most downloaded apps in Ukraine distributes pirated content such as music and movies. Apps like “Music.ex.ua” still rests freely on Apple apps store allowing users to stream pirated music through the app. The irony is that these apps are hosted on one of the companies that has the most strict music sharing policies in the world.
When it comes to online piracy, Ukraine is a name on top of the list. The country has been constantly accused of promoting pirated content. In hopes of putting an end to online piracy and clear the name of the country, over twenty five organisations in Ukraine have teamed up to create Clear Sky coalition. However, the Ukrainian anti piracy community claims their efforts are being rendered useless when these major tech companies promote piracy in its’ own marketplaces.
“It is obvious that certain Apple and Android mobile apps available for download are publishing pirated content. While Apple and Google take a strong stance on content considered inappropriate such as porn, both brands are unwilling to expand their remit to include content that breaches IP rights,” said Pavel Mykolyuk, member of the Clear Sky coalition.
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After the public exposure of these reports and constant requests for removal, some of these apps have been removed from Google Play and Apple Apps Store, according to Torrent Freak. However, many others apps still exists, disregard of requests to remove copyright infringing apps.
In order to fight online piracy in the country, Ukraine anti piracy movement asks Apple and Google to tighten their policies for their app stores to prevent apps from promoting pirated content. As Mykolyuk states,”Online piracy is a problem for everyone, and so we need effective collaboration to overcome it.”
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