WSJ: Studios Allege Google Benefits from Piracy

NEW YORK, February 12: Several major media companies,
including News Corporation, Sony Corporation, NBC Universal, Time Warner and
The Walt Disney Company, have accused Google of directing traffic to sites that
offer illegal film downloads, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

The Journal reported that the claims were based on
statements made in 2006 as part of a civil suit brought by the studios against
two websites that helped users download pirated material. The statements
maintain that Google sold advertising to those sites even though it was aware
that the sites in question facilitated illegal downloads.

The report further notes that Google has pledged to
implement new measures to prevent this from happening in the future.