Leaked Email Indicates Google, Sony Invited to Anti-Piracy Meeting With US Homeland Security

It would seem Google and movie studios are trying to strengthen a relatively fragile relationship that continues to evolve.

A leaked email from a member of the Sony Pictures legal team to CEO Michael Lynton, sent on March 19, 2012, indicated Homeland Security official John Morton wanted Lynton to attend a meeting “to find a compromise to the Google issues.”

Here is part of the leaked email:

“Google apparently is willing to do more than its public (and not so public) positions; Google suggested you as the most balanced and reasonable person on the studio side and specifically requested your participation. No other studio would be involved.

You are his first phone call invitation to this small group. He plans on also inviting the Chairman , President and CEO of Eli Lilly , John C. Lechleiter, who is very involved in fighting counterfeit pharmaceuticals; additionally , he wants to invite Ernie Allen who is the President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. I have attached the resumes of each of these 2 gentlemen. Lastly, he is thinking of including someone from Rosetta Stone; I still have not confirmed who that would be. From what I understand, John does not want the group any larger.”

The president and CEO of biopharmaceutical company Eli Lilly was invited, as the company was able to clamp down on counterfeit pharmaceuticals that were sold online. Furthermore, representatives from Rosetta Stone and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children were requested to contribute during the meeting.

It’s unknown if the meeting ever took place – and was supposed to be a “very confidential” meeting – but Google has recently been involved in several high-profile anti-piracy efforts. The tech company cracked down on a few different torrenting apps available in its Google Play store, along with again outlining its anti-piracy efforts in a new report.

In the past, movie studios accused Google of helping facilitate piracy, criticizing the No. 1 search engine for not doing more in its effort to prevent online piracy.

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