Google China is planning to introduce MP3 search as it struggles to compete Baidu in China. This move comes as a surprise because music industry has been critical of Baidu for its MP3 search although Baidu says it tries its best to protect copyright material.
Google says it is consulting record labels for MP3 search. According to comments reported by Chinese Xinhua news agency Google is getting approval from record labels.
The news was also confirmed by Chinese news sites Sina and 163.com that Google was planning an MP3 search engine for China which would start as early as in two weeks. The MP3 search will be accessible to users throughout the world.
Although Google is world’s number one search engine but when it comes to China it is second to Baidu which is famous because for its MP3 search. Music industry has often criticized Baidu because it says user download pirated music.
In response Baidu has said that it provides links only to music files stored on third-party servers. No music is stored on computers owned or controlled by Baidu and this is what exactly Google and other search engines do.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents major record labels, claimed earlier this year that China’s music business is based on “blatant violation of copyright laws”.
The IFPI made the statements as it renewed a legal assault on several companies, including Baidu, Sohu and Yahoo China, which it accused of committing “mass copyright infringement”.
Baidu provides an index of over 740 million web pages, 80 million images, and 10 million multimedia files. Its market share in China is 70 percent compared to 20 percent of Google.
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