Italian football league Serie A teamed with Google to combat piracy by seeking out Play Store apps which sidestep copyright rules by unlawfully reproducing content.

The pair will use tools to monitor cases of copyright infringements by apps on the digital marketplace to increase protection on the platform.

Serie A and Google acted after “a continuous and incessant battle” against audio-visual piracy which had already resulted in the removal of services from the Play Store following reports of illegal reproduction of the football league’s content.

Google VP and MD for Italy Fabio Vaccarono described the fight against piracy as a “constant commitment”, with the company developing “ad hoc” technologies and programmes to protect content owners.

The league pledged to continue its own campaign agaisnt piracy.

Other ongoing moves by Google to keep the Play Store clean include screening new apps for malware and moves to clarify subscription terms.