A French court recently ordered several search engines, including Google and Yahoo, to de-list several known pirating sites from their search results. This move would prevent anyone from successfully finding pirated content and sites through those search engines. Organizations representing the television and film industry, such as the MPAA, have been pushing for these types of actions for years with little success, because these search engines have shown little interest or motivation to block or de-list pirating sites. But with the success of this court case in Europe, the chances of passing a similar measure in the U.S. will increase. I think it’s time companies like Google come to an agreement with Hollywood and block major pirating sites.
I have always had conflicting feelings about pirated TV shows and movies. On the one hand, pirating content is illegal. While pirating has become accepted to such a wide degree that it isn’t really seen as morally wrong, the illegality still bothers me. I also think that I owe whatever movie or show I’m watching payment, so that the studios have a reason to make more material of that quality. If everyone only pirated TV shows, there would be nothing on TV. The quality of pirated content is usually low, and is never as good as the version you could get on iTunes for a few dollars. I also dislike having my computer assaulted with pop-up advertisements that generally leave it sluggish for a few hours afterward.
Despite all of these counts against pirated entertainment, I still find myself looking up free streaming links online far more than I would like. Usually this is because some TV show I’ve become addicted to isn’t available in another easily accessible format. Sometimes it’s because I just don’t want to spend the money for a show I’m only marginally interested in. What’s consistent in these scenarios is that I’m justifying my actions either with my laziness or my thriftiness — I don’t want to make the effort to acquire the content legally. Should studios make their content easier to access in legal ways? Yes, particularly ones like HBO that demand a full subscription to their service to see any of their shows from the past year. But does that absolve me of guilt? No.
At the end of the day, the studios producing TV and movies are going to make a lot of money despite the presence of piracy. The industry is built to handle some degree of illegal downloading. But TV shows on the verge of cancellation and movies created by artists who have to beg for every dollar they get cannot afford the loss of revenue and ratings created by pirating sites. And those are the people worth protecting by removing pirating sites from major search engines.
Removing these sites from search engines will not stop all illegal downloading. People who really want to will always be able to find a way, and those who already have favored pirating sites would still be able to access them without a search. But those who download for the same reasons I do now — laziness, primarily — will be dissuaded by the added effort this would require.
This would not put undue strain on the search engine’s finances either, especially if the entertainment industry foots the bill, as is the situation in the French case. A cooperation between the search engines and TV and film studios could help ensure that neither side gets too much leeway, as sites like Google could block a limited number of sites they confirm are providing illegal access to content. Illegal downloading isn’t a terrible crime, but for the sake of quality entertainment, allowing some checks on its propagation could be a good idea.
Forrest Brown is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. His columns usually run Thursdays.
Read More
PARTING SHOT: No man is an island
By Ava MacBlane | YesterdayRetirement, as you can tell, has been treating me well. When people ask me now if I miss it, I laugh and tell them some things I definitely don't miss. But I don't always get to tell them about the things I really do miss.
PARTING SHOT: You never know unless you try
By Lexi Baker | YesterdayMy time at the University was shaped by the people who showed me grace and kindness and by those who had confidence in me, even when I struggled to have it in myself.
PARTING SHOT: A love letter to Cav Daily and Connection
By Ava Proehl | 2 days agoMy time here taught me to look for the genuine, human connection in every moment.
