How will YouTube avoid the copyright infringement lawsuits which tamed Napster and crippled so many other digital entertainment sites? YouTube's answer: Ask us to take something down, and we'll take it down. As simple as that. Today, it backed up its promise.
Google's newest property has removed 29,549 videos that contain unauthorized materials taken from Japanese sources, including movies, music videos, and television, at the request of a number of Japanese rights-holders, according to the Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers. The Japanese group was aiming to show that copyright infringement is not a minor problem, but widespread on YouTube. The group also called for a better screening process.
If anything, this news should demonstrate the steps YouTube is willing to go to in order to comply with copyright concerns. If the lawsuits filed against other user-generated video sites do not set a precedent which leads to a major shakeout of the market, I think the studios will realize that YouTube's effect on their business models will help more than harm their bottom-lines. Couple a rise in the profile of music videos (which should lead to more legal sales and downloads of the songs) with the direct payment Google and YouTube are making to record companies and its a win-win. Small clips from television shows on YouTube will probably draw more people to watching the show when it's broadcast rather than leeching viewers to the Web, and movie trailers could help send more people to the box office.
The Google brand on YouTube moves the site from seedy world of "pirates" into a legitimate marketing tool. Michael Connelly, a best-selling author, is even using a short vignette made of the first chapter of his new book, Echo Park, on YouTube to promote its release. — Brian Ward
Go to story from Ars Technica
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