The Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (hereinafter - the RTCL) is strengthening the cooperation with Google on the removal of websites that unlawfully publish copyright-protected content from Google's search results. The RTCL will be providing Google its court-approved decisions regarding such websites requesting them to be removed via Google’s established process. This means that users in Lithuania will no longer be able to see the domain names of all websites and copies of websites blocked by the RTCL's decisions on Google's search platform. 

The RTCL notes that the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses of websites that provide access to specific unlawfully published copyright and related rights subject matter were removed from Google's search engine in the past.

The RTCL also notes that these websites also use other services to commercialise infringing activities, and therefore their removal from Google’s search results will limit the ability of their operators or administrators to profit from the publication of works without the consent of the right holders. 

The RTCL, in accordance with Article 78(3) of the Law on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, has the power to issue binding instructions to Internet access service providers to remove access to unlawfully published copyright content by blocking the Internet domain name identifying the website in the Domain Name System (DNS), until the infringement of the copyright content is removed.

The RTCL believes that this cooperation will contribute to reducing the number of users visiting websites that publish infringing copyrighted content and will contribute to even more effective copyright protection.