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Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google has created a surge of “accidental pirates” through its image search function, says a complaint filed by photography company Getty Images to the European Union’s antitrust commission, charges adding to Google’s woes in the region. In its complaint, Getty Images accuses Google of copying, or “scraping,” images from third-party websites. That makes images easy to download, Getty said, and in the process, Google has created an army of digital scofflaws who don’t realize they’re infringing copyright protections by downloading and using protected images. In its complaint to the European Union’s antitrust commission, Getty says the Google Images service — which displays full-screen slideshows of high-resolution copyrighted images — has hurt Getty’s licensing business, as well as content creators worldwide, by siphoning traffic and profits from photographers. Google introduced this image feature in January 2013. Previously, the search engine only displayed tiny thumbnails of images that clicked-through to source sites. “Because image consumption is immediate, once an image is displayed in high-resolution, large format, there is little impetus to view the image on the original source site,” Getty Images said in a statement this week. “These changes have allowed Google to reinforce its role as the Internet’s dominant search engine, maintaining monopoly over site traffic, engagement data and advertising spend. This has also promoted piracy, resulting in widespread copyright infringement, turning users into accidental pirates.” “Getty Images represents over 200,000 photojournalists, content creators and artists around the world who rely on us to protect their ability to be compensated for their work,” Yoko Miyashita, Getty Images’ general counsel, said in the statement. “Google’s behavior is adversely affecting not only our contributors, but the lives and livelihoods of artists around the word, present and future.” Google Has Said Image Search Helps Source Sites Get Clicks Google declined to comment to IBD. In 2013, however, Google did comment on this issue to website Search Engine Land. At that time, a Google spokesperson said that even with the image search changes, “actual click-through rates to webmaster pages, i.e. real traffic, is up 25%, so real visits are up. As you know, we doubled the way users can reach the host website.” Getty said its complaint Wednesday “follows on from Getty Images’ submission in June 2015, when it joined as an interested third party in support of the European Commission’s existing investigation into Google’s anti-competitive business practices.” The latest legal action heaps new issues onto the search giant’s ongoing legal battles in Europe. Getty’s complaint comes just days after the EU’s antitrust commission charged Google with using unfair practices to promote its own services on Android devices. The Wall Street Journal quoted EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager as saying the commission was focused on Google’s demand that smartphone makers and mobile carriers using Android load Google apps on their devices if they offer any of the company’s services — including search — on their phones. Google’s contract requires phone makers to pre-install a folder of 11 apps within one click of the home screen. Vestager expressed concern that Google was shutting out rival app developers with the contracts because they prevent consumers from deciding for themselves which apps to download. Google has said that consumers do have the last word about which apps they want to use on their devices, according to the WSJ. Google has also been accused of distorting search results in favor of its own shopping comparison services. Google Senior Vice President Kent Walker said in a blog post last year that the commission’s conclusions on the shopping allegations were “wrong as a matter of fact, law and economics.” Alphabet stock was down 1% in afternoon trading in the stock market today , near 713. A lower close would mark the stock’s third straight day of decline. Scalper1 News
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