Google has announced that they will begin reporting on the instances of requests to remove search results by copyright owners based on the premise of copyright infringement. The takeaway from this is that the company intends to continue to be very open and honest with its end users with the way that the search results work, without giving away the secret Google formula that creates search results.
How it works:
Google will release a report that discloses the number of requests they get, and the organizations those requests are originating from, to remove Google Search results because they allegedly link to infringing content. The disclosed information will specifically include the following who requested the correction, which organization does the requesting agent represent, and which website is being contested.
Acts of legislation, such as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), and it’s sister legislation PIPA (Protect IP Act), have recieved positive comments from a few copyright owners at the prospect of protecting their interests and investments, and a huge amount of negative attention from the rest of the online population that does not want to see one of the few still growing industries in the United States throttled by unnecessary legislation.
Most feel that the responsibility of protecting content falls on the shoulders of the copyright holders, which will in turn make their products and services more expensive, but will allow a powerful industry like internet services and products to continue to thrive.
