RIAA Presents Google With A Five Point Plan

Yesterday the global music industry sent its 100 millionth music piracy notice to Google. This number can account for a variety of things such as 100 million times users had the ability to download illegal content or 100 million times artists and labels missed out on the opportunity to gain revenue from the music they themselves had created.

Using its 100 millionth takedown request as a platform to speak about Google and the role it plays in online piracy, the RIAA has announced a 5 point plan of what it thinks Google can do to better help combat piracy. Cary Sherman, CEO of the RIAA has given praise to some of the smaller steps Google has taken such as creating Google Play but notes, “We’ve seen no demonstrable demotion of sites that receive a high volume of piracy notices.”

Sherman goes onto explain how the 5 steps would be simple and straightforward for Google to perform.

•    Fulfill the admirable promise to demote sites receiving extensive numbers of piracy notices
•    Make sure that the “take down” of a song is meaningful – not repopulated online two seconds later
•    Educate users by identifying authorized sites with a consumer-friendly “icon”
•    Stop leading users to illegal sites through autocomplete
•    Give your repeat offender policies some teeth

DMCA Force has previously reported the large volume of takedown requests Google receives daily but also the outline for which Google fights online piracy. However, is it possible for the RIAA to convince Google to step up to the plate and follow the 5 point plan? The RIAA thinks it is possible and believes both companies can work side by side to create an Internet ecosystem that will better asset both consumers and copyright holders in legal commerce.

Sherman finishes by saying, “None of these steps would interfere with the user experience that fans of Google have come to expect. It would signal a new day and unprecedented collaboration between one of the world’s leading technology companies and the global music business. It’s a win for everyone. What are we waiting for?”