Google and other major search engines have been trying to make it harder to be a portal for movie pirates to display their wares. The studios aren’t impressed, saying that 58% of searches that led to infringing content weren’t aimed specifically at finding illegal content distribution centers.
A study released Wednesday by the MPAA, the trade group representing the major Hollywood studios, concludes that search is a major gateway to the initial discovery of pirated movies and TV shows.
The survey found that 74% of consumers surveyed cited using a search engine as a navigational tool the first time they arrived at a site with infringing content, even when the consumer was not looking for pirated movies or TV shows.