Google and Microsoft to make it harder for pirated content on the web

Search engines are now pledging to make it harder for internet users in the UK to find pirated films and music and illegally streamed sport.

Google and Microsoft’s Bing have signed up to a voluntary code of practice which will ensure that the sites with pirated content are demoted in their search results.

The entertainment industry reached the agreement with the tech giants after talks brokered by the government. The initiative will run in line with the existing anti-piracy measures. The code — one of the firsts of this type — is expected to be operational by the summer.

The Intellectual Property Office led the discussions, along with the assistance of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Supporting the talks was communications watchdog Ofcom by exploring techniques that could be used to ensure internet users avoid coming across illegal content.

Current anti-piracy measures in the UK include court mandated site blocking, efforts to reduce advertising appearing on illegal websites and Get it Right From A Genuine Site education campaign, which encourages fans to support the creative process.

The organisers of the new agreement state that in future internet users will be more likely to be taken to bona-fide providers than pirate sites where their online security could be at risk.

Eddy Leviten, director general at trade body the Alliance for Intellectual Property, said: "Sometimes people will search for something and they will end up unwittingly being taken to a pirated piece of content.

"What we want to ensure is that the results at the top of the search engines are the genuine ones. It is about protecting people who use the internet, but also protecting the creators of that material too."

Stan McCoy, of the Motion Picture Association in Europe, welcomed the code of practice, saying pirated websites are currently too easy to find via search engines.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of music industry body the BPI said: "Successful and dynamic online innovation requires an ecosystem that works for everyone, users, technology companies, and artists and creators.

"The code will not be a silver bullet fix, but it will mean that illegal sites are demoted more quickly from search results and that fans searching for music are more likely to find a fair site."