Google Pirate Update Spells Trouble for Content Thieves

Google Pirate Update Spells Trouble for Content Thieves

Content stealing, or piracy, is nothing new in the digital world we live in. However, it can be a very frustrating thing to see when your hard work is simply copied to someone else’s website and pawned off as their own content. Sure, you can file DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notices, but that is time-consuming and can be difficult. However, with the new Google Pirate update, those who choose to steal may become all but invisible online. In fact, Google has announced that piracy will now be punished by a decrease in search engine visibility of up to 89%.

The news comes as a bit of a relief for those who create content. This goes for people in the entertainment industry all the way down to those who post blogs. Everyone who is a copyright holder wants to have their content protected, and the Google Pirate update does just that. Now fighting piracy comes with some heavy gloves in Google.

Now, places like torrent sites that steal content and then offer to have users download it for free will be stopped. The algorithm updates mean that illegal content-stealing will hopefully soon be a thing of the past. Sure, there is a long way to go, but with Google slapping copyright infringements with such a harsh penalty, the thieves would basically have to start over again if they ever want to be found on Google. If it violates the DMCA, then it violates Google’s new terms and conditions.

This also means that each and every website owner needs to check, and then double-check, their site’s content to make sure they are not in violation themselves. Even if they are and they don’t mean to be, removal notices could be the least of their problems. If Google deems them as pirates, they will go down with the rest of the pirates out there.

Anything and everything can be considered pirated. Think of all the components of a website…written content, videos, sound bites, pictures. If you don’t have permission to use it or it is too similar to someone else’s work, the Google Pirate update might make it so big trouble follows. So, this levels the playing field for many who have constantly had their content stolen but also makes it more important than ever before to ensure every page on your website is unique in every sense of the word.