Google is bombared with Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) take down notices everyday, but it isn’t everyday that Microsoft submits one trying to get its own web links de-listed from Google’s search engine. According to TorrentFreak Microsoft did exactly that.
The reason for such an “epic fail” is that Microsoft affiliates have automated systems which often end up requesting DMCA take downs on perfectly legitimate content, legitimate websites and sometimes even on their own content as this example shows. Luckily for Microsoft Google didn’t comply with the request and the Microsoft links still remain listed in the Google search engine.
Invalid DMCA take downs are becoming a problem for small legitimate companies as demonstrated a few weeks ago when media giant HBO filed a DMCA take down against the search engine listing for the VLC Media Player website. This was done in an effort to combat piracy of their Game of Thrones TV show.
It remains to be seen how much longer DMCA take downs can continue to go through unregulated. With Google dealing with millions every week it is only a matter of time before they end up delisting something unjustly.
Image #1 courtesy of nethope.org and Image #2 courtesy of TorrentFreak.com
Unjustly, you mean like trying to remove VLC player? I don’t see how they would even think that is a good idea.
Wow, this is why there needs to be penalties for filing unjust DMCA notices that are high enough to discourage filing unjust takedown notices. By all means, if it’s a legitimate takedown request that’s one thing, but there have been several cases where DMCA notices are sent for other purposes or by mistake via automated systems.
lolol