Google Gives Details On Deleting Linda Ikeji's Blog

Google Inc. had received a number of quite serious complaints of constantly plagiarizing and lifting issues from websites without giving credit to unique sources, which caused deleting Linda Ikeji’s blog.

The popular entertainment blog was accused of the un-professionalism and lack of structure of the blogger.

The deletion of the blog has since generated lots of disagreements as many of Linda’s fans did not share the views of Google. They took to the different social media pages to cry and blame ‘witches’ and ‘haters’ for the ‘tragedy’.

Many others thought it was fair and deserved. Also there were readers who believed this was a break for Linda Ikeji, as she is likely to reorganize her blog to make it better and bigger.

To clear the situation, Google’s Manager for Communications and Public Affairs, Anglo-Phone West Africa, Taiwo Kolade-Ogunlade explained why the blog was shut down.

He told Google takes the matter of copyright seriously, adding that the company belongs to a group of Internet firms that stands by the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other appropriate copyright laws.

“To respect the rights of copyright holders, Google clearly spells out how users of its products and services can get permission to use someone else’s intellectual property such as text, songs, images and footages. Google is no respecter of anybody when it comes to the issues of copyright infringement.

“Google as an organization takes issues of copyright seriously and belongs to a group of digital companies that respect copyrights,” explained he in a chat with Punch newspaper.

“Copyright is a big deal and this is why you can’t just go and pick up another person’s intellectual property or content and lay claim to its ownership. That is why we have copyright guidance. I don’t know if Linda picked up any content and I don’t know what content is the bone of contention, neither have I looked into the complaints personally.”

“But it is not a case of witch-hunting and has nothing to do with Linda Ikeji’s personality or anyone else because there is a process, and irrespective of who you are in the world, that process would apply to you.

“People should also understand that copyrights does not only apply to text, but also extends to literary works, images and photographs, music files and MP3s, movies, movie trailers and videos as well as software.” 

The most popular Nigerian blog by Linda Ikeji was shut down on October, 8, supposedly in connection with the dispute about the blog’s content originality.