Written question asked by Mike Weatherley (Conservative) on Tuesday, 17 March 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 March 2015 (named day). It was answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative) on Monday, 23 March 2015 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Internet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on requiring internet search engines to incorporate trust marks and warnings to signify legal content in their algorithms and the search results presented to the consumers.

Answer: Search engines play a valuable role in guiding consumers to sources of legitimate content online. They are well placed to work with copyright owners to explore ways to promote legitimate websites in search results, taking into account any competition issues. A series of round table discussions between search engines and copyright owners chaired by my noble Friend Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister for Intellectual Property, have been productive and work continues on these important matters.

Secondary information