Google is voluntarily pulling down hundreds of websites involved in pirating popular movies and television shows after years of intensifying criticism from local film businesses and content creators.

The tech giant has entered into a voluntary agreement to help stop the spread of illegally downloaded material by removing sites blocked by internet service providers from its search results, allowing copyright holders to avoid taking the US-based behemoth to court.

Village Roadshow chief executive Graham Burke. Credit:Eddie Jim

Village Roadshow chief executive Graham Burke said there had so far been 832 sites blocked by the multibillion-dollar search platform, as part of a new collaborative approach between Google, internet service providers and content owners.

Mr Burke previously accused the US tech giant of "facilitating crime" for allowing pirate websites to be found in search results and told Google to "sue" him over the comments. He has been arguing for changes in the way the tech company handles illegally shared content over the last five years.