Google’s Piracy Response Under Scrutiny in Europe

• Google is criticized in European countries for apparently failing to take action on pirate website takedown notices.
• The issue stems from Google’s reluctance to heed such requests due to abusive demands considerations.
• This caution enabled Google to prevent Serie A from accidentally deindexing its own website. 

Google is facing criticism in Spain and Italy for alleged anti-piracy shortcomings, with accusations of ignoring notices aimed at removing pirate IPTV providers from search results. This comes amid ongoing pressure from major football leagues in both countries, which have historically criticized Google's approach to piracy.

While Google continues to process legitimate takedown requests, the company's policy of safeguarding against abusive demands appears to be the crux of the controversy. Google's recent prevention of Serie A accidentally deindexing its own website exemplifies the delicate balance it maintains between compliance and caution.

Despite having removed over 10 billion URLs for copyright infringement, Google is now under fire for reportedly not cooperating with rightsholders' demands for more aggressive measures, including remotely deleting apps from users’ phones. Such demands raise questions about the balance between copyright enforcement and user privacy.

In October, Italian media reported that Serie A, Italy’s premier football league, is prepared to take legal action against Google for perceived non-compliance with takedown requests. The allegations claim Google has been reluctant to collaborate on anti-piracy efforts, despite having processed numerous takedown notices, many of which contained URLs not indexed by Google, thus impossible to remove.

Interestingly, the issue is further complicated by the involvement of multiple intermediaries filing takedown requests on behalf of Serie A, including Sportian, formerly known as LaLiga Tech. Errors within these requests highlight the challenges of managing complex takedown processes and the potential for misuse.

Under Italy’s Law n. 93, effective since August 2023, ISPs are required to block access to infringing content within 30 minutes upon request. However, this expedited process lacks judicial oversight, raising concerns about erroneous actions, such as Google's recent accidental blocking.

Recently, Google asked a U.S. court to dismiss lawsuit claims that accused the tech giant of profiting from piracy via Google Ads.