Google and Microsoft’s Bing may soon make it much harder to stream or download illegal content, at least for U.K. internet users.
The companies have signed a voluntary code of practice in a bid to crack down on online piracy, the BBC reports. In theory, sites with pirated material will be quickly pushed down search results, leading U.K. web surfers to legal content first.
The process will “accelerate the demotion of illegal sites following notices from rights holders” a statement released by rights holder groups Alliance for IP, the BPI, and the MPA said.
The BBC noted that Google (GOOGL) believes it already has sufficient piracy protections in place and so doesn’t plan a change in policy.
The British government led the talks but the code has not been made public. It is expected to come into force by the summer.