Considering how exorbitant cinema tickets are, alongside the almost criminal cost of popcorn and a drink, it is no wonder that illegally streaming films online has become the more popular option for would-be cinemagoers. As convenient and economical as this option is, it is ultimately illegal… So to combat digital piracy, Google will be implementing its very own anti-piracy code. This code aims to prevent copyright infringing links from appearing within the Google search results. The entertainment industry has increasingly held search engines responsible for the steady rise of pirated content. To their credit Google did attempt to implement anti-piracy efforts in 2016, with the down ranking of torrent sites, however, this was deemed inadequate. Google has responded with voluntarily cooperating with industry representatives to negotiate the anti-piracy policies it will implement. It can be argued that the willingness to co-operate stems from potential legislative repercussions from the UK government. Whilst Google is yet to comment, we can wager that they favour an mutual agreement policy rather than formalised government legislation. Regardless of their reasoning, UK branches of search engines have agreed to implement this code on June 1st 2017. This development would undoubtedly place pressure on other nations to follow a similar path. So, while you have the time, start saving for those movie tickets, because the pirates of the world may see an end to their way of life.
