Over the past few weeks, it has been interesting to watch the news about YouTube. Only this morning NPR reported that the Department of Defense was barring use of YouTube by our troops in Iraq. My mind raced -- because of copyright infringement? But no, it was because soldiers are using too much bandwidth.
There are serious copyright concerns about YouTube, of course, and now media companies are suing for copyright infringement. When YouTube began hosting the equivalent of home movies, it was great! There were no copyright concerns because the work being posted was original. Quickly the posted videos began to include music to accompany the video, and recorded music at that. Clearing the rights to include music to accompany a video is very complicated and my guess it that most posters did not clear the rights. One would have to clear rights with the composer for the performance, the synchronization rights for playing the music with the video and with the owner of the sound recording copyright for reproducing the work and for digital transmission of it. And that is just the music!
Now YouTube often includes standard television shows, TV advertisements and motion picture clips. While it is wonderful to be able to catch these on YouTube, does anyone really doubt that it is copyright infringement? Copying and transmitting an etire work? Even clips which might be fair use in some instances are unlikely to be fair use based on the four fair use factors. Face it, the purpose of YouTube is entertainment -- entertainment that I enjoy very much, but we all have to recognize that posting copyrighted works without permission is infringement.
Lolly
With the purchase of YouTube by deep-pocket Google, litigation over copyright infringement is likely to increase until and unless YouTube does develop software that adequately screens out copyrighted works and prevents their posting.
Comments (2)
> it was because soldiers are using too much bandwidth.
You can believe that if you like, but there's not a chance that it's true.
Posted by Stephen Downes | May 18, 2007 1:33 PM
Posted on May 18, 2007 13:33
On the other hand there is an opportunity for budding entertainers to strut their stuff on youtube. And the great thing about that is they get popular (because they are talented) and we get their performances for free (consider Numa Numa, OkGo, Funtwo, to name a few). When they get famous they will want to get paid, of course (so then their stuff is illegal)
And whilst free music is my interest, I also enjoy the great videos done by up and coming talent (I presume) like the Backkom animation studios (that treadmill one is hilarious!)
Youtube is evolving (its not that long ago that it was full of teenagers fooling around). The copyright issue will become irrelevant, I am guessing, as it becomes more used by new talent (and, unfortunately) advertisers!
Posted by Free Music Rocks | June 22, 2007 12:28 AM
Posted on June 22, 2007 00:28