Google is under fire from the biggest media groups in the world, amid claims that it is helping internet pirates to ply their trade in illegally copied films and television shows.

The media groups, which include Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, GE, Sony and News Corporation, parent company of The Times, have accused Google of not doing enough to stop internet pirates.

The groups, which are understood to have met Google recently to put their complaints, have also argued that Google must act to help to stamp out the illegal trade.

Google declined to comment on the complaints, but sources said that the internet search giant agreed late last week to step up efforts to stop its users being directed to alleged pirate sites.

The media groups’ allegations arise from a case they brought last year against two businessmen who, they claimed, were involved in piracy of films and television shows through two websites.

Google’s search engine had allegedly directed web surfers to the two sites, which have been accused of assisting users in downloading illegal content from the web.

It was also claimed that Google sold advertisements to the sites.

Google has not been named as a defendant in the civil case.

Traditional media groups, pained by losses from DVD and CD piracy, are fighting piracy on many fronts.

Encryption, format changes and internet distribution deals have done little, though, to cut the flow of illegally copied films and TV shows.

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