Copyright Takedown Requests to Google Doubled In 2013

Daniel_Stuckey writes "Last month, a company working on behalf of the publisher Random House, asked Google to remove links to a free copy of Stephen King's Carrie from search results. Google complied for three out of the four requested links, but didn't remove Kim Dotcom's new website Mega.co.nz as requested — for even if Mega is hosting pirated copies of Carrie, they sure aren't on the homepage. But leaving that link up was an exception to the rule. More and more, copyright owners and the organizations they employ are cutting off where the websites and the public meet — the search engine. Google's transparency reports show that requests to remove links to copyrighted material rose steadily in 2013. The search giant received 6.5 million requests during the week of November 18, 2013, which is over twice as many as the same week a year ago. Google said it complies with 97 percent of requests." I know someone who had his original work taken down by a Warner Bros DMCA bot (without recourse, naturally, since only lawyers are people nowadays).

Comments

Re: Change the business model

[Cytotoxic]

Agreed that simply posting links to hosted content is less of an issue than hosting it on YouTube directly, but it still amounts to facilitating rights violations. I don't know if doing so should be illegal per se, just that doing so should hurt Google's bottom line, in such a way that they proactively try to prevent it.

Let's try explaining it by absurd example.

I don't know that Scowler complaining to his friends about the drug dealers that hang out behind the 7-11 should be illegal per se, but it still amounts to facilitating illicit drug use. I'm not saying he should go to jail, just that providing information about the location of drug dealers should hurt Scowler's pocketbook, in such a way that he'll proactively try to prevent it.

Substitute any other behavior you'd like for drugs in this silly vignette and you'll see why your financial solution is no improvement. I'm not saying that homosexuality should be illegal per se, just that engaging in that behavior should affect your bottom line...

Free speech is free speech. Anything that chips away at our right to freely express our ideas is an abomination. "Facilitating rights violations" is an absurd, made-up weasel word to get around protections for free speech. Substituting financial penalties for criminal violations doesn't change the calculus at all. And no, the fact that there are government officials at the highest levels who agree with you doesn't make you right, it just makes it more terrifying.

None of that means that there isn't a real problem that the entertainment industry has to face with piracy. It just means that I'm not willing to trade any of my freedom for their security. And you shouldn't be willing to make that trade either.