Google forced to remove useful links in image search due to copyright complaint by Getty Images
Google has removed the "View Image" link in its image search results as a result of a copyright lawsuit launched by Getty Images.
The lawsuit has since been settled, and it is suspected that Google's decision to remove the view image function is directly related to the settlement terms. Earlier this month, Getty Images announced that it had entered into a partnership with Google in which Google will license images from the company.
The "View Image" link allowed users to view and download the direct link to the image, and has been a bane of web publishers for years, as it allowed users to grab images without visiting the website that originally published them. With the link gone, users will now have to visit the publishing website first before they can download the image, which may lead to more visitors for publishers.
This, combined with the "Search by Image" link, which has also been removed by Google, allowed for easy searches and the piracy of stock images owned by companies such as Getty, according to Getty's original complaint.
As part of the settlement, Google will also make copyright disclaimers to copyrighted images more visible, and in return, Google will be allowed to index and use images in Getty's vast library within its own products due to the new licensing agreement.
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