The RIAA is targeting Youtube and Google Video.
Noonebutme writes:
In its ever-increasing battle against Internet piracy, the RIAA is always looking for new ways to prevent people from listening to music without authorization. The newest way to share music illegally online, according to the RIAA, is via music video’s from Youtube and Google Video.
Sites like Youtube and Google Video’s are user-driven and run largely on content submitted by any one of it’s 6 million visitors. According to the RIAA, it is also a haven to view unlicensed music video’s that were recorded with TiVo or other Digital Video Recorders. A majority of the music video’s posted on Youtube seems to come from recorded MTV broadcasts and are then uploaded to Youtube.
The RIAA has previously issued cease-and-desist letters to Youtube users for uploading videos’ that are against copyright laws. In such cases, Youtube puts up a notice saying “This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner the RIAA because its content was used without permission.”
Currently, the labels are policing Youtube and other sites on their own. Their efforts in removing the content has proved to have mixed effects. While many video’s are removed quickly upon request, the video’s are often resubmitted within days.
One possible solution to the crisis the RIAA is facing is for Youtube and others to implement content-filtering in order to find and prevent video’s that infringe upon copyright from being uploaded to the site. Youtube’s competitors, including Google Video, who is partnered with Sony BMG to sell video’s, iFilm, which is owned by MTV, and Myspace, which displays promotional and ad-supported music video’s for labels. However, all of these sites allow users to submit their own video’s and have seen an increase in unauthorized video’s or video’s that break copyright uploaded and viewed on their networks.
A year and a half ago, the RIAA had estimated that it received more then $3.7 Million from three months of music video sales. Additionally, major labels offering on-demand video’s that are ad supported through AOL, Yahoo, Music Choice, Google, and other services. Like all other sources of revenue, the music industry feels a strong need to protect it.
When the traffic results were compared, Youtube had outranked TNT, which was the highest rated cable network of the week. According to the Nielsen/Net-Ratings, Youtube had an average of more then 12.5 million visitors, compared to 7.2 million viewers by TNT. Sites like Youtube have managed to force TV networks to change their platforms. After fighting a losing battle against TV piracy, networks have started to stream their shows on line for free, but including commercials that cant be skipped, or in Warner Brothers case, they decided to adapt and use the method of downloading that many pirates use, bittorrent.
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