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Three copyright strikes and Google may delete your entire YT channel, while they continue to allow (and support via their "content id" service) an unlimited num
by pdkl95 5y ago
Three copyright strikes and Google may delete your entire YT channel, while they continue to allow (and support via their "content id" service) an unlimited number of patently fraudulent claims from accounts that are obviously just spamming claims to see how much ad revenue they can steal. This imbalance is at the core of this issue. Google will severely punish creators for alleged copyright violations, but allows fraudulent claims.
If creators have to work under a "3 copyright strikes" Sword of Damocles[1], the accounts of people making copyright claims need similar restriction. If you submit 3 fraudulent copyright claims, you lose your account. You cannot submit any more claims, "content id" no longer flags your works, and you no longer receive payments from any ad revenue claims on other videos. This may sound harsh, but so is deleting someone's channel after 3 copyright claims.
[1] 17 U.S. Code § 512 (i) (1) ...The limitations on liability established by this section shall apply to a service provider only if the service provider (A) has adopted and reasonably implemented, and informs subscribers and account holders of the service provider’s system or network of, a policy that provides for the termination in appropriate circumstances of subscribers and account holders of the service provider’s system or network who are repeat infringers
- thanksforfish 5y agoI think a challenge is that the law provides much needed protections to YT if they protect copyright holders. Distinguishing between real and fraudulent claimants would need to be done very carefully; could accidentally denying a legitimate claim cause them to lose liability protections? If so, they'd need lawyers in the loop for any decision about denying a fraudulent copyright claim. The cost of that is likely enough to make them prefer the current setup.
- danaris 5y agoYouTube's system goes far beyond what is required for DMCA Safe Harbor.
- shadilay 5y agoViacom had lawyers and YT creators did not, therefore they did not have a seat at the table when YT's draconian copyright system was created.
- pavon 5y agoNo what happened is that YT creators were found to be blatantly and directly infringing on copyright by uploading copyrighted video themselves. As a result they had to accept unbalanced settlement terms negotiated from a position of weakness.
- shadilay 5y agoI have never seen any evidence that "they", YT creators, had any input in the YT copyright system. There was no negotiation. YT is afterall a contract of adhesion.
- gwd 5y agoI've posted this before, but I think it needs to look like this: 1. Claimant files a copyright claim with Google against a video owner. This immediately causes the video to be taken down / revenue to be redirected. 2. Video owner can contest the claim. This immediately causes the video to go back up / revenue to be refunded (or perhaps escrowed pending further procedures). 3. Claimant can now re-file the claim, but putting up enough money to have a real, trained human actually look at the case (I'm thinking on the order of $1000). Video is again immediately taken down, and revenue redirected. 4. The video owner can now re-contest the claim by putting up the same amount of money. - If the video owner doesn't re-contest the claim, the money is refunded and the process is over. - If the video owner contests the claim, they put up the same amount of money. A real, trained copyright lawyer looks at the case and decides. Whoever wins gets their money back.
- cordite 5y agoIs this proof of stake
- Cederfjard 5y agoSo if you can’t put up $1000, but your counterpart can, you’re screwed?
- gwd 5y agoTechnically yes; but: 1. It's still better than the current situation, where you're screwed regardless 2. Not even a large corporation is going to be willing to lose $1000 over and over again. The only time it's rational to put up the $1000 is if you're pretty sure you're going to win, or if you're pretty sure the other guy can't pay. I think the chances of any random person being unable to come up with $1000 are reasonably low. So most re-claims should generally be actually valid. 3. Theoretically one could imagine services like bond lenders starting up, which will look at your case and front you the $1000; and if you win you pay them a cut of the refund ($50? $100?). If my predection at the end of #2 turned out to be false, there should be a reasonable market for this sort of thing.
- 5y ago
- mulmen 5y agoSounds like a cost of running the largest streaming video service on the Internet. Should Google get free electricity to protect their bottom line?
- mistercool 5y ago> So, until the 30-day appeal period (appeals are to the claimant!) expires, some copyright troll is making money off of ads running on our new production of a public domain opera. Can someone explain how the copyright trolls are able to steal the ad revenue? Do they upload a different video with the "copyrighted" material, or make money off of the one uploaded by the defendant?
- AlexAndScripts 5y agoThe latter.
- leeter 5y agoThey make money off the one uploaded and inappropriately claimed until they release the claim (and the money) or decline the counter-claim. They also have an option to claim a strike against the flagged work.
- bonzini 5y agoThe latter. If a creator uses copyrighted (or allegedly copyrighted) material, ad revenue goes to the copyright owner.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- gmueckl 5y agoCould you act as your own copyright troll? That is, what happens when you file copyright claims against your own works from a second account? Also, how many TOS and laws would this violate?
- inkblotuniverse 5y agoSomeone made a video about doing this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ieErnZAN5Eo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ieErnZAN5Eo There are several more.
- bmn__ 5y ago> Could you act as your own copyright troll? Yes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz14Ul-r63w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz14Ul-r63w > That is, what happens when you file copyright claims against your own works from a second account? You split half and half with the copyfraudster. If you make more sockpuppets to copystrike yourself, you get proportionally more and deprive the cf, e.g. 4 puppets vs 1 cf splits 80%/20%. > Also, how many TOS and laws would this violate? lolwhocares, I'm with emplemon - no respect for broken tos and laws
- foolmeonce 5y agoI still don't get why large holders aren't getting hit? If you were to file takedowns on Disney's misuse of mythology, or whatever, wouldn't you get 30 days of their income while letting their rebuttal expire?
- na85 5y agoYou'll get thrown in jail for fraud. There are a different set of laws for the wealthy, including wealthy corporations.
- squeaky-clean 5y agoDisney, other film studios, large record labels and distributers, etc, have the ability to place their content directly into YouTube's ContentID system so a copyright claim will generally be denied immediately by one of youtube's bots.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- dragonwriter 5y ago> If creators have to work under a "3 copyright strikes" Sword of Damocles[1], the accounts of people making copyright claims need similar restriction. Since you reference federal law and not a Google-specific policy here, perhaps the issue is Congress, nto Google.
- zamalek 5y agoThe Google process pre-empts DCMA, that's the real problem. Congress has already considered fraudulent claims, but Google has/will not.
- dragonwriter 5y ago> The Google process pre-empts DCMA, that's the real problem The reference to federal law wasn't to the DMCA safe harbor, but to the repeat-infringer termination rule. The Google termination process fulfills that requirement rather than preempting it. > Congress has already considered fraudulent claims, but Google has/will not. Insofar as the first part is true, its only in the sense that Congress essentially gave carte blanche to fradulent claims since the only consequence for false takedown notices apply only to the assertion of ownership or representation of the owner of some asserted copyright, not the part where you claim that someone is using the copyright protected material in an infringing manner.
- kevingadd 5y agoThe Youtube system is not required by federal law. It's a worse system they created themselves.
- ehsankia 5y ago> This imbalance is at the core of this issue. While that was very true 1-2 year ago, I believe the tides have actually shifted and Youtube has done a lot to re-balance this dynamic. Especially since Youtube v Brady [0], which was an exact example of the abuse you described. From my understanding, the person receiving the copyright claim now has more power to contest it. So much so that there recently was drama from the other side, with a creator claiming their account was in danger because they tried to take down a copied video and the person contested it [1]. Take a look at the email from Youtube in that video for a taste of how the new system works [2]. It's still far from perfect, and as shown above, it can also backfire the other way around, but it does seem like they are providing more tools for creators to defend themselves. Previously the only option was to get a lawyer and go to court. Clearly not ideal. [0] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/man-sued-for-using-bogus-youtube-takedowns-to-get-address-for-swatting/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/man-sued-for-usi... [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuF5k4QB_zg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuF5k4QB_zg [2] https://ibb.co/4m8fyhJ https://ibb.co/4m8fyhJ
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- enriquto 5y ago> just another evil google thing Einstein said that "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything". This probably puts most of passive non-users of google as culprits in their wrong-doings. But the case of people who voluntarily partake in the perpetration of google services is different. There's no "probably", here; their moral standing is clear-cut. I'm unable to feel any sympathy towards them. Not even to say "it's unfortunate, but they had it coming". If you have a google account or use google services you are directly responsible of their evil deeds. At this point, complaining that they are unfair towards you is hypocritical. Google is nothing without its users.
- ThrustVectoring 5y agoGoogle does not have that kind of superior legal negotiating position. Copyright owners use ContentID and revenue sharing in lieu of suing Google for knowingly participating in copyright infringement. If Google locks out a copyright owner from their alternative to legal disputes, the next step is the copyright owner sending large quantities of mail to Google's legal department to get handled manually. Complete non-starter, Google needs to have a highly automated system with copyright owner participation, and as I understand it copyright owners are forced to opt-in if it is provided.
- krferriter 5y agoGoogle can use the automated system while also cracking down on false copyright claims, using a strikes system for them too, and by not just handing the video revenue to the claim maker just because they make it. They can stash the revenue in a sort of escrow bucket until the copyright claim is actually resolved in either party's favor.
- ThrustVectoring 5y agoGoogle cannot categorically ignore copyright claims without opening themselves up to potential legal liability. If you've made a hundred bogus copyright complaints to Google and they cut off your access, and you send in another complaint, they still have to either A) shove it into a DMCA safe-harbor exception, or B) risk knowingly continuing to violate your copyright. Option B is straight up not happening when the risk is that high, not without expensive lawyers reviewing the situation. There isn't and will never be a "strikes" system for false copyright claims.
- philderbeast 5y agothey can deny access to content ID, and require manually submitted claims (providing a postal address and requiring hard copy notifications still meets the DMCA requirement's AFAIK) so while they cant just ignore a claim, they can make it harder to make a claim.
- 5y ago
- moritzwarhier 5y agoIt's hard to imagine a scenario where a faulty copyright claim is submitted in good faith. And are the accounts of such bad actors of particular value to them or more likely easily disposable? So, one strike for fraudulent copyright claims? Two? Edit: OK, ThrustVectoring and thanksforfish already pointed out the flaws in that argument.