Google is a company that strongly fights against piracy acts, mainly due to the fact that the company itself has been the target of numerous lawsuits that accuse the world’s most popular search engine, of contributing to said illegal acts. Up to this point, Google has only taken relatively small actions against piracy, like removing search results leading to websites that promote the illegal download of media. Piracy seems to be increasing with faster Internet connections, as users can now download a whole movie in just a matter of seconds; Google’s own cable service, named Fiber, allows downloads of 1 Gbit per second, which virtually eliminates the waiting time for any download. But, if you are one of the lucky few to have Google Fiber, you might want to stay away from any illegal downloads, as the Internet giant has just begun taking more extreme measures against piracy.
Google has just taken a strong stance against copyright infringement, as it will now adopt the Rightscorp’s business model; which essentially sends fines to anyone that illegally downloads any kind of copyrighted file. The usual fine per infringement is of $20, and while it seems like a small quantity at first, the fines can range up to hundreds of dollars, also take into account that there have been cases where users illegally download thousands of songs or movies; making for an extremely elevated amount of money when summed up.
Google’s new stance against piracy really surprised many, as the company has in the past protected its customers interests, even if they aren’t completely legal. Although many Fiber users are uncomfortable with this radical approach, Google might be doing something to protect its relatively new Internet service. With millions of DMCA takedown requests from copyright owners, Google is taking actions so that a the increasing percentage of Fiber users is not implicated with piracy acts; and face less barriers when trying to install the super fast Internet service in more cities across the United States. Google Fiber has surely made it easier to pirate a whole movie in mere seconds, and because of that, many users have been tempted to do so. Google hopes that with these new measures, their customers won’t be facing any worse legal circumstances with copyright owners themselves.