An Argument for Original Copy: Google Now Taking Valid Copyright Removal Notices Into Account When Ranking Sites

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Google’s Panda and Penguin algorithm updates in 2011 and 2012 applied a certain programmable logic and artificial intelligence to improve the overall Search Engine Results Page (SERP) experience for users. For many website administrators and SEO professionals, the Panda and Penguin updates were a harsh wake-up call with regard to content.

In August 2012, Google announced yet another update to its search algorithms, and this time it deals with intellectual property and copyright issues. According to its official announcement, Google will lower the SERP rank of websites that have received valid copyright removal notices. This is a strong argument for law firms to feature quality content on their websites that is fresh and, more importantly, original.

The Internet has become a massive repository of digital content. An important aspect of Google’s mission is to crawl and index all content on the web for the purpose of effective SERP placement. Users expect to find quality content that is up-to-date, relevant, engaging and original. Google rewards websites that feature such content with high SERP placement and penalizes those that feature content that has been copied — particularly if it is the subject of a copyright removal notice.

While Internet copyright infringement is traditionally associated with file sharing networks like the old Napster and BitTorrent, as well as with social video sites like YouTube, electronic text and images are copied at higher rates. This gives the creators of the unique content a way to protect their rights while penalizing those who have effectively stolen their content. Pennsylvania bankruptcy lawyers who publish a unique article and flowchart explaining the Chapter 7 process on their website can now file a complaint against anyone who has taken their content without permission or without attributing it back to the lawyers’ website. Google will examine the claim, sent a copyright removal notice to the offending website and lower the SERP rank of the site.

A copyright notice can be disputed and the determination of what constitutes infringement rests upon the courts, but a low SERP rank can be very damaging for sites that count on the Internet to attract prospective clients. Law firms should adhere to a strategy of investing time and effort into original and engaging content creation that prospects and clients will enjoy and find meaningful.