Already embroiled in a UK licensing and royalties standoff with the Performing Rights Society for Music (PRS) Google’s video-sharing service YouTube is once again back in the music headlines after the sudden disappearance of audio tracks from its fair-use video content.
YouTube users targeted by Warner Music for singing copyrighted songs. Image: Warner Music Group.
While most people creating and posting personal videos to YouTube would be forgiven for thinking their clips are unlikely to be targeted by media companies, Warner Bros. is actively working against that belief after forcing YouTube to drop the audio from clips containing its copyrighted music.
And it’s not just protected music being played over clips or playing in the background that are falling foul of Warner Bros. as it continues its march against violation of copyright, the media giant is even pressuring YouTube to cut audio from videos showing users singing their own renditions of owned material.
For example, the New York Times reports that high school sophomore Juliet Weybret received an official notification letter from Warner Bros. informing her that a clip in which she was playing the piano and singing popular Christmas hit Winter Wonderland had been dropped at its request.
Speaking in an official statement regarding YouTube’s ID tool, which roots out copyrighted content misused on the site, Warner Music spokesman Will Tanous noted that the tracking system does not differentiate between user-created clips containing copyrighted material or the unlicensed use of official music videos.
“YouTube generates revenues from content posted by fans, which typically requires licenses from rights holders,” he said. “Under the current process, we make YouTube aware of all WMG [Warner Music Group] content. Their content ID tool then takes down all unlicensed tracks, regardless of how they are used.”
According to Fred von Lohmann, an attorney for Internet civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), thousands of user-created video clips have already been affected, with YouTube either opting to disable accompanying audio tracks or pull videos in their entirety.
Reports suggest Warner Music’s increased focus on personal video clips is a result of both parties failing to agree on a new content licensing deal that would see YouTube delivering a percentage of its advertising stream to the media titan – a stalemate that has already seen vast sways of Warner-owned clips pulled from the site.
Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.
The Tech Herald: YouTube yanks music videos in licensing stalemate
The Tech Herald: U.S. senator calls for YouTube to pull terrorist content
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter
Advertising
Comment on this Story