Ad Age has a great blog post explaining how videos from Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira were taken down by a channel called iLCreation. While the Ad Age website explains what happened, and asks how YouTube could allow such an action to take place, it doesn’t at all touch on the question: does YouTube allow such actions, and what are the consequences of bad behavior?
YouTube takes great steps to maintain a vibrant YT (YouTube) Community. I know this, because I’m a YouTube Partner, and have been one since 2007.
And while I have issues with the lack of a filter for undesirable words in the comment section, I do appreciate that YouTube at least pays direct attention to my complaints.
YouTube will take down a video that is a direct copy of one you created as a YT Partner. But there are severe penalties for abusing the takedown system. While iLCreation certainly lost their channel for reportedly repeatedly abusing the copyright reporting system, what Ad Age did not explain was that iLCreation could also face stiff fines for what was done.
For all this blogger knows, iLCreation may be facing such fines, and now realizes that their actions were not only not appropriate, but not legal. That’s not at all the problem.
The problem is that much of YouTube’s reporting system is automated, and leads to a ton of errors. Here’s a complaint recently posted, one of a growing number of them:
SkewYT
Level 1
8/26/11
This issue is getting worse and worse. People think they can abuse this function and as a result Youtube is losing it’s own credibility quite firmly.Here’s the issue. Twice now, I have been made aware of copyright claims and removals by NBC Universal against some episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
There are several problems with this:
1.: The movies featured in the episodes in question are NOT produced by Universal. (12 to the Moon and Teenagers From Outer Space)
2.: MST3K is NOT produced or owned by Universal, except for the movie, and that is NOT an excuse.
3.: One or both movies in question are public domain.
It seems that NBC Universal has not learned all this time from it’s loss of $52,000 to Nintendo in 1982. The fact is, if I had a say, this would be very illegal, claiming copyright infringement on something that does not belong to them, especially if it’s public domain. But it’s not, yet still this highlights a serious failing in Youtube’s copyright claims system. It should not be left in the hands of a machine. Every claim… EVERY CLAIM should be thoroughly examined by actual people before the video is even touched. I can understand the need to protect copyright, but this is not protection, this is fraud.
Do not let companies ruin Youtube with their lies.
Now, while this problem has, by study, increased, the other problem is that many people do not file counter claim notices and follow-up. I do.
You have to make a claim that would hold up in court – prove that the material belongs to you and that you have a right to post it.
YouTube sends you an email explaining that a copyright challenge has been filed. But if you’re not paying attention to the email, you’ll miss it, and your videos will be taken down.
Don’t let that happen. Pay attention.
Stay tuned.