How we protect content

The internet has created huge opportunities for creators, their communities and the content industry. The scale and speed of the web allows people to watch and share more music, movies, sports and entertainment than ever before. But, just as the internet has evolved, so has online piracy.

Google takes piracy very seriously. We continuously develop programs, policies and technology to fight online piracy. Here is what we do to protect copyrighted content.

The internet has created huge opportunities for creators, their communities and the content industry. The scale and speed of the web allows people to watch and share more music, movies and entertainment than ever before. But, just as the internet has evolved, so has online piracy. Google takes online piracy very seriously. Below are the programs, policies and technologies we’re continuously developing to protect copyrighted content.

Give rightsholders the tools they need

We work with industry leaders in three key areas to set the standard on how tech companies can help content creators and owners.

On YouTube

We’ve invested over $100 million in Content ID, our groundbreaking tool for rights management. Content ID compares uploaded content against a huge database of copyrighted material. If a match is found, rightsholders can choose to track, monetize or remove copies of their work. This gives owners control over their content and helps create a whole new revenue stream.

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In Google Play

Our policies prohibit apps that infringe copyright, encourage illegal streaming or attempt to deceive users by impersonating other apps. Creators and rightsholders can also notify us about content on Play that infringes on their rights. This combination makes a big difference. In 2017, more than 14,000 items were removed from the Play Store through the notice-and-takedown process.

Make piracy unprofitable

We help demonetize stolen content by cutting off advertising revenue. We’ve removed over 91,000 domains from our advertising network for abusing copyrighted material. Most were caught by our proactive screening process before they made money off a single ad.

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Improve access and opportunity

Pirated content is a lot less appealing when legitimate options are easy to find. That’s why we constantly improve Search so users can quickly discover and access authentic sources of content, such as legal streaming options and local cinema times.

We also empower content creators and rightsholders via YouTube and the Play Store to distribute and monetise their work to over 1.5 billion users globally.

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Boost our defenses

We collaborate with rightsholders and industry associations to increase security and prevent pirates from streaming content through Google Drive. Data from external partners is crucial to this process and we continue to listen to their needs and findings. A new, full-time engineering team has also been created to tackle Drive abuse and as a result of these measures, problematic streaming has dropped significantly.

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Empower creators and rightsholders

We’re committed to helping content creators and creative industries thrive online. Rightsholders are generating more revenue than ever before, with the help of Google products.

Earned each year since 2014 by developers on

Google Play


Paid to the music industry to date on

YouTube


Made by rightsholders in the last 5 years via

Content ID

Protecting content together

Billions of people use Google’s tools everyday to access, read, watch and create content they love. We are doing more than ever to fight online piracy, but there’s still more to be done. Find out why we believe that partnering with creators and rightsholders is one of the most effective ways to make sure we protect the content we all love.

Tools and resources

Rightsholders and content creators work hard to provide their fans with high quality content. And at Google we provide a wide range of resources to help them protect their copyrighted work. Together we will protect content and fight piracy.